HE SAID I WAS JUST A BET

Chapter 62: Blood In The Shadow

The room was colder than outside, but Maria’s skin burned with adrenaline. The stranger had vanished into the darkness as if swallowed whole, leaving only the faint scent of metal and something else—blood.

She moved carefully, tracing the wall with her fingertips. Every step felt like an invitation for danger to pounce. Somewhere in the distance, water dripped steadily, each drop echoing like a ticking clock.

Then, the sound changed. A low scrape… like boots dragging across the floor.

Maria’s grip tightened around the small dagger Daniel had slipped into her pocket earlier.

“Show yourself,” she demanded, her voice low but steady.

A dark figure emerged from behind a pillar—not the man from before, but someone bigger, broader. His eyes glinted, reflecting the dim light like an animal’s.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he growled. “This is where people come to disappear.”

Her heart thumped harder, but fear had no space in her chest now—only focus. She shifted her stance, dagger ready.

“I’m not disappearing,” she replied, “I’m hunting.”

The man smirked, revealing a row of teeth too white for someone living in shadows. “Hunting?” He stepped closer. “Then you’ve just found your prey.”

Without warning, he lunged.

Maria sidestepped, her blade slicing across his forearm. A sharp hiss escaped his lips, and for the first time, she saw the blood—dark and thick—trailing down his sleeve.

But the wound didn’t slow him. Instead, he laughed. A chilling, guttural sound.

“That’s it… fight me.”

Maria realized then—he wasn’t just an obstacle. He was enjoying this.

Somewhere above, a floorboard creaked. Daniel? Or another threat? She didn’t dare look up. If she blinked now, she might not live to open her eyes again.