Storm Before The Silence

Run Little One

Alex stormed toward the front, his face darkened with a fury I’d never seen before. His eyes burned with an intensity so fierce, so all-consuming, it felt like he could set the world itself ablaze. I barely had time to catch my breath before he was at the door.

I rushed forward, flinging the door open and pulling him inside. I wrapped my arms tight around him, holding on like if I let go, he might vanish into the thin air.

“It’s okay, little bird,” I whispered, voice trembling. “You’re safe.”

His gaze locked onto mine. For a brief moment, a smile played at the corner of his lips—faint, unreadable—but his eyes never softened. There was an edge, sharp and urgent, that cut through the room like a blade.

“We need to leave,” he said low, voice laced with urgency. “And we need to leave now. You understand that, right?” His words felt heavy, like the gravity of a storm bearing down on us. “You’re not safe here anymore. Too many people are coming for you, and I don’t have my men to protect you.”

He held me close again, fingers digging into my back as if anchoring himself to the only thing still real. “Alex, I understand,” I murmured, trying to steady his trembling. “But what about my life? What about my best friend?”

He hesitated, then softened just a fraction. “She’ll come back when it’s safe. Maybe even live with you. How does that sound?”

A gasp escaped me—too excited for words—and laughter bubbled up, bright and full of relief. “Really? She can be with me? We can cause chaos together?” I grinned, the weight on my shoulders suddenly feeling lighter than it had in months. “Okay. As long as everyone I love stays safe, I’m in.”

The world seemed to spin too fast, like everything was rushing ahead while I struggled to keep up. We darted in and out of stores, gathering supplies I never thought I’d need, clothes I never thought I’d wear, weapons I hoped I’d never have to use. It was strange, knowing that out there—somewhere beyond this small bubble of frantic energy—were four or five people who cared about me. But only one was here now.

I’d imagined I’d grow old, single, maybe a crazy cat lady with health issues. I chuckled quietly to myself, sipping my too-sweet coffee, watching Alex grip the steering wheel of his oversized, lifted truck.

“Why the giant truck, Alex?” I asked, raising a brow.

He smirked, eyes gleaming with secrets. “Because,” he said simply, “we’re about to board a flight to who-knows-where, and I’m not telling you where until the last second. I hate surprises, you know.”

The mystery was unbearable.

We stopped again—this time at a*****e that seemed to offer makeup and clothes. Things I didn’t even realize I needed.

“Alex,” I said, growing impatient, “what are we doing here? I thought we were done shopping. I’m tired, hungry, and I already bought everything I thought I needed. Do I really need more stuff?”

His grin widened, as if I’d just handed him the best gift. “Okay, okay,” he chuckled. “We’ll buy whatever you want. Then we’re heading to my other house. But fair warning—you’ll probably scream my ears off there, too.”

I rolled my eyes but let myself be pulled along. After more shopping, more wandering aisles, I was beyond over it. I just wanted to go back to the house. Back to safety—or at least some semblance of it.

“Alex, can we leave now? I’m done!”

“Yeah, Rose,” he said, snickering with that familiar smirk. “We can leave now.”

The truck rumbled beneath us as we rolled through towering iron gates. The property stretched before us—dark and brooding, like the setting of some ghost story. Trees cast long shadows that seemed to crawl along the ground. The air was thick and heavy.

I jumped out and made my way inside, my boots echoing softly on the wooden floors. The creak of the stairs sounded louder in the eerie silence as I climbed to the bedroom upstairs.

The black comforter felt soft and familiar against my skin as I collapsed onto the bed with a long, shaky sigh.

“Why is my life so cruel?” I whispered into the dark. “What did I do?”

Tears spilled down my cheeks, hot and sharp against my skin. I curled in on myself, feeling like a child who’d lost everything. The aching loneliness wrapped tight around my heart. My eyelids grew heavy, and slumber pulled me under, soft and deep.

---

But sleep was a lie.

“Rose…” The voice cut through the darkness—a roar filled with rage and fury that shook my very soul. “You thought you could run from me!”

I bolted upright, heart hammering against my ribs like a war drum. The room was cold, shadows coiling at the corners like living things.

My limbs were bound, heavy and unmoving. Panic surged as I struggled, but thick leather straps held me fast, locking me in place. My body was stiff and cold, like a marionette cut loose from its strings.

Why was I so tired?

I screamed, voice raw and ragged from the intensity.

“Scream all you want, little b***h,” the voice sneered, dark and vicious. “You’re in my world now. And I swear, I’m going to make you regret running away with that piece of s**t bird.”

Pain exploded across my thighs, white-hot and scorching like molten iron searing into flesh. I screamed again—something primal and desperate.

“Please… stop!” I begged, voice cracking under the onslaught. But the agony didn’t relent. It burned, sliced, tore at me unceasingly, relentless as a storm.

Then, just as suddenly, it stopped.

But I knew it wasn’t over. It never was.

A sharp, cold blade scraped across my chest, dragging down to my stomach with deliberate cruelty. My teeth clenched tight against the tears stinging at my eyes, but they came anyway—unbidden, unstoppable.

“Wake up! Wake up!” I begged my mind. “This has to be a dream!”

“I’m coming for you,” the voice whispered close, a venomous promise wrapped in longing. “Run all you want. I’ll find you. Wherever you hide. I love the chase.”

The voice faded into silence, but I couldn’t move.

Then—there.

At the foot of my bed—a shadow.

Dark and looming.

Cold.

I froze.

Terror flooded my veins like ice. My mouth opened, but the scream that tore from me was unlike any before—raw, bloodcurdling, filled with the purest, most absolute fear I had ever known.

The room held its breath with me.

And I knew—this nightmare was only just beginning.