VALERIE
The icy grip on my throat sent a shock through my body, my pulse pounding in my ears.
As my vision cleared, I saw her standing before me - the veiled figure that had been haunting me for a while now, half hidden in the shadows, her voice calm and unrelenting.
“Did you think I was helping you for free?” she hissed.
I clawed at her hand, desperate for air, but my strength was nothing compared to hers. “What… what do you mean?” I gasped, my voice weak and strangled.
She released me abruptly, and I stumbled back, clutching my throat. Her presence seemed to drain the warmth from the air around us.
“Your debt,” she hissed. Her voice echoed as if it came from all directions at once. “You owe me, Valerie. And now it’s time to pay.”
“I don’t owe you anything!” I cried, anger breaki
