Elizabeth's POV
The air inside the old library was heavy, stale with years of dust and abandonment. My heart pounded so loudly I was sure whoever was here could hear it. The glow of the phone in the distance dimmed, shifting as the figure tilted it, then pocketed it, leaving me in near-darkness.
I swallowed hard. My voice came out thinner than I wanted. “Who are you?”
The figure didn’t answer. Instead, they moved—slow, deliberate steps against the cracked floor tiles. I could make out the outline of their body now: tall, cloaked in shadows, familiar in a way that sent my stomach twisting.
“Say something,” I demanded, though my knees trembled.
A low chuckle broke the silence. The sound was muffled, distorted, like it was forced through clenched teeth. “You came,” they finally said. Th
