Chapter Three: Whispers of the Unknown
1004 Words
Aria barely slept that night.
The barn had been her only refuge, but it no longer felt safe. Every creak of the old wooden beams sent a jolt of fear through her. The storm outside had passed, leaving behind an eerie stillness that made the world feel unnatural, like something was holding its breath.
She sat against the wall, her arms wrapped around her knees, replaying the events in her mind. The creature—the one with too many eyes—had vanished after she escaped. She didn’t know if it had died, fled, or simply decided to let her go.
But she felt it.
It was still out there.
And worse, it wasn’t alone.
For days now, she had been seeing them—shadows that didn’t belong, figures flickering at the edge of her vision. At first, she thought they were tricks of the light, illusions cast by her restless mind. But she knew better now.
They were real.
And she was starting to suspect that they could see her too.
Aria let out a slow breath, rubbing her hands together for warmth. The barn was cold, the air thick with the scent of damp wood and decay. She needed to move. She couldn’t stay in one place anymore.
Not when they were watching.
She pushed herself up, wincing at the stiffness in her muscles. Her body ached from the night’s ordeal, but there was no time for weakness.
As she adjusted the straps of her satchel, a strange sensation prickled at the back of her neck.
A presence.
She wasn’t alone.
Aria spun around, dagger in hand, eyes scanning the dim barn.
Nothing.
Only the emptiness of the abandoned structure, its silence pressing in around her.
And yet…
She could feel it.
Something was here.
She took a cautious step forward, her grip tightening on the dagger’s hilt. “Who’s there?”
No answer.
A gust of wind rattled the barn’s old wooden walls, and for a brief moment, a shadow moved across the far wall.
Not the shadow of something outside.
The shadow of something inside.
Aria’s breath hitched.
Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the shadow slipped away, fading into the darkness like it had never been there.
Her pulse pounded.
Was she losing her mind?
No.
No, she had seen it.
And what terrified her most was that she wasn’t entirely sure if it had been watching her from the beginning… or if it had just arrived.
She needed to go.
Without hesitation, Aria slung her satchel over her shoulder and pushed open the barn door. The outside world greeted her with an unnatural quiet, the air thick with the scent of damp earth.
Something was wrong.
The village wasn’t far. She could make it there by midday if she kept moving.
She took one last glance at the barn before turning away, disappearing into the misty morning.
By the time she reached the outskirts of the village, the sun was high in the sky.
She was exhausted, her body weary from walking, but she forced herself to move forward. She needed to blend in, to act normal—like she hadn’t spent the night being chased by something not of this world.
The village was small, the kind of place where everyone knew each other’s business. That meant people would stare.
And they did.
As Aria walked past, villagers paused their work to glance her way. Some whispered, some merely watched with cautious eyes.
She ignored them. She was used to it.
“Aria,” a voice called out.
She turned, spotting an older woman near a well. It was Madame Elsha, one of the few villagers who didn’t seem afraid of her.
“You look pale, child,” Elsha said, squinting at her. “Where have you been?”
Aria hesitated. “Just… traveling.”
Elsha’s gaze lingered on her, sharp and knowing. “You saw something, didn’t you?”
Aria tensed. The old woman had always been perceptive, almost unsettlingly so.
She swallowed. “I don’t know what I saw.”
Elsha nodded slowly, wiping her hands on her apron. “Come. You should eat something.”
Aria hesitated, but the thought of food—real food—was too tempting to refuse. She followed Elsha into her small cottage, the warmth inside instantly soothing her chilled skin.
The smell of herbs and fresh bread filled the air. Elsha handed her a plate, and Aria ate in silence, her mind still haunted by the events of the night before.
“You have the look of someone who’s seen too much,” Elsha said after a while.
Aria looked up, her grip tightening on the edge of the plate. “I… I think something’s following me.”
Elsha’s expression didn’t change. She simply nodded, as if she had expected it.
Aria frowned. “You believe me?”
The old woman leaned forward, her voice lowering. “You’re not the first to be marked by them, child.”
A chill ran through Aria.
“Marked?” she whispered.
Elsha sighed, her gaze heavy with something unreadable. “There are things in this world we do not understand. Creatures that exist in the spaces between, waiting for the right moment to step through.”
Aria swallowed. “Then why are they after me?”
Elsha studied her for a long moment before finally speaking. “Because, child… you see them.”
Aria’s hands trembled.
The words felt like a key turning in a lock.
She saw them.
But did that mean… she was bringing them closer?
The thought made her stomach churn.
“I don’t want this,” she whispered.
Elsha reached out, placing a gentle hand on hers. “You may not want it, but it is yours. The question is… what will you do with it?”
Aria had no answer.
Because for the first time in her life, she realized—
This wasn’t just a curse.
It was a calling.
And it was only the beginning.
- Writer
