Chapter 3-The Warning
1163 Words
Judith’s Pov
I spent the entire night staring at my phone.
The message never changed.
Stay inside tomorrow. Trust me.
Six words.
That was it.
No name.
No explanation.
No reason why a complete stranger seemed to know where I lived, how to contact me, or why I was apparently in danger.
The worst part?
I couldn’t stop thinking about him.
Those silver eyes haunted me.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw them.
Calm.
Mysterious.
And somehow familiar.
By the time sunlight finally crept through my curtains, I’d slept less than two hours.
My alarm rang.
I groaned and buried my face in my pillow.
For a brief moment, I considered following the stranger’s warning.
Staying home.
Locking every door.
Pretending the previous night never happened.
Then reality returned.
Bills existed.
Rent existed.
My boss definitely existed.
Unfortunately.
I wasn’t about to skip work because of a cryptic text message from a mysterious man who appeared and disappeared like a ghost.
“You’re losing your mind, Judith,” I muttered.
The words sounded far less convincing than I wanted them to.
By nine o’clock, I was standing behind the counter at Hollow Pages.
The bookstore was unusually quiet.
A few customers wandered between shelves.
Soft music played overhead.
Everything seemed normal.
Yet unease lingered beneath my skin.
Every time the door opened, I looked up.
Expecting silver eyes.
Expecting answers.
Instead, an elderly woman bought a mystery novel.
A college student purchased textbooks.
A mother argued with her six-year-old over a coloring book.
Normal people.
Normal lives.
I envied them.
The bell above the door chimed again.
My heart jumped.
A man entered.
Tall.
Dark hair.
My pulse accelerated.
Then he turned.
Wrong person.
Disappointment washed through me.
I immediately hated myself for it.
Why was I disappointed?
The stranger had practically admitted I was in danger.
He refused to answer questions.
And somehow, I still wanted to see him again.
That couldn’t be healthy.
“Judith?”
I looked up.
My coworker, Megan, frowned.
“You okay?”
“Fine.”
“You look exhausted.”
“Thanks.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
I laughed despite myself.
For a moment, things felt normal again.
Then the feeling hit.
Hard.
My stomach twisted.
The sensation was so sudden I grabbed the edge of the counter.
Fear.
Pure fear.
Not mine.
Someone else’s.
My eyes widened.
The emotion flooded through me.
Desperation.
Panic.
Terror.
I scanned the bookstore.
The customers appeared normal.
No one looked frightened.
No one looked upset.
Yet the feeling remained.
Strong.
Growing stronger.
Then the bell above the door chimed.
Everything stopped.
The fear vanished instantly.
Replaced by silence.
My gaze snapped toward the entrance.
A man stood there.
Dark coat.
Dark hair.
Silver eyes.
Joshua.
Relief surged through me before I could stop it.
His expression immediately hardened.
As if he sensed it.
As if he didn’t approve.
Great.
Apparently I wasn’t the only one having emotional problems.
The bookstore suddenly felt too small.
Too crowded.
Joshua’s gaze swept across the room.
Every muscle in his body looked tense.
Alert.
Dangerously alert.
Then his eyes found mine.
Something dark flickered across his face.
Not anger.
Concern.
The realization startled me.
Joshua started walking toward me.
Several customers stepped aside without realizing it.
He carried a presence that demanded space.
Demanded attention.
Demanded obedience.
The strange thing was that nobody seemed to notice.
Nobody except me.
When he reached the counter, my heart was beating far too fast.
“You came.”
The words escaped before I could stop them.
Joshua raised an eyebrow.
“You sound surprised.”
“You disappeared.”
“You expected me to stay?”
I opened my mouth.
Closed it again.
Good point.
Joshua glanced toward the window.
Then toward the back of the store.
Then toward the entrance again.
Like he was searching for something.
Or someone.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
His jaw tightened.
“Checking.”
“Checking for what?”
His gaze met mine.
“Trouble.”
The answer sent a chill through me.
Before I could ask another question, Joshua suddenly went still.
Every trace of calm vanished from his face.
My stomach dropped.
“What?”
He looked toward the far corner of the bookstore.
I followed his gaze.
A woman stood near the history section.
Nothing unusual about her.
Brown hair.
Blue jacket.
Mid-thirties.
Completely ordinary.
Yet Joshua looked ready to start a war.
“What is it?” I whispered.
Joshua didn’t answer.
The woman slowly turned.
Our eyes met.
A sharp pain exploded behind my eyes.
I gasped.
Images flashed through my mind.
Blood.
Fire.
Screams.
Darkness.
A pair of glowing yellow eyes.
Then everything disappeared.
I stumbled backward.
Joshua caught my arm instantly.
His touch sent an unexpected jolt through me.
Warm.
Stronger than it should have been.
“Judith.”
The concern in his voice surprised me.
The woman was gone.
My head snapped toward the history section.
Empty.
Completely empty.
“What just happened?”
Joshua’s expression darkened.
“She’s here already.”
Fear settled heavily in my chest.
“Who?”
The answer came immediately.
“The one hunting you.”
My blood turned to ice.
The one hunting me.
Not a creature.
Not a thing.
A person.
Someone was actively searching for me.
And somehow, Joshua had expected it.
“Tell me what’s going on.”
My voice shook.
Joshua remained silent.
Frustration exploded inside me.
“No.”
His eyes narrowed.
“No?”
“I’m tired of secrets.”
The words came faster now.
“Tired of riddles. Tired of weird warnings. Tired of monsters and disappearing people and everyone acting like I already know something I don’t.”
Several customers glanced our way.
I didn’t care.
Joshua stared at me.
Then, unexpectedly, he sighed.
The sound carried centuries of exhaustion.
“You deserve answers.”
Hope flickered inside me.
Finally.
“But not here.”
My hope immediately died.
“You’re impossible.”
A corner of his mouth twitched.
The almost-smile lasted less than a second.
Then his attention snapped toward the window.
Every trace of amusement vanished.
My stomach dropped.
Joshua looked genuinely alarmed.
And that terrified me more than anything else.
Because if someone like him was afraid…
What was coming?
Outside the bookstore window, a figure stood across the street.
Watching us.
Watching me.
Even from a distance, I could see the woman’s eyes.
Bright yellow.
Not human.
Not normal.
The same eyes from the alley.
The same eyes from my vision.
A smile slowly spread across her face.
Then she lifted one hand.
And pointed directly at me.
Joshua’s expression turned deadly.
For the first time since meeting him, I heard genuine fear in his voice.
“Judith.”
My heart hammered.
“What?”
His silver eyes locked onto mine.
“Run.”
And when I looked back toward the street, the woman was gone.
- Writer
