Velour Shadows

It was raining heavily. A girl was running in the dark night. Behind her, so many people were chasing her. Her heart was pounding fast. She was crying while running because she had just witnessed a murder. And the person who committed that murder… she knew him. She never imagined he could do something like this. She was in shock. Tears mixed with rain on her face as she kept running. Suddenly, a car stopped in front of her. She froze. The door opened. The same killer stepped out of the car. Calm. Dangerous. Before she could run again, he grabbed her by the neck and pulled her close. He leaned near her ear and said, "You can't escape from me." She struggled against him immediately. “Leave me!” she shouted, trying to push his hand away from her neck. Her fingers dug into his wrist, her nails scratching his skin, but he didn’t loosen his grip. Instead, he pulled her closer. Her back hit his chest. His arm wrapped around her tightly, almost like an embrace, but there was nothing gentle about it. She tried to twist free, but he was stronger. “Let me go!” she cried again, her voice shaking. He didn’t answer. He just held her. For a second, it almost looked like he was hugging her — but then she felt something wet smear across her cheek. She froze. His hand had moved from her neck to her face. There was blood on his fingers. The same blood from the murder she had just seen. It stained her skin. Her breathing stopped. Her body went stiff. Fear rushed through her like ice. She stared at him, her eyes wide, unable to process what was happening. Then panic hit her. She started hitting him with her fists, kicking, trying to push him away. “Lass mich“! Leave me! Please!” He tightened his grip again, his expression turning cold. Suddenly, she felt something hard press against her stomach. Metal. She looked down slowly. A gun. She heard the sharp click as he pulled the trigger halfway, enough to make the sound clear in the quiet night. Click. The sound was small, but it felt louder than the thunder above them. Her whole body went still. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe properly. The rain kept falling, but she barely felt it now. Her hands slowly dropped to her sides. He leaned closer to her ear again. His voice was calm. Too calm. “I told you,” he said quietly, “you can’t escape from me.” Tears slipped down her face again. This time she didn’t fight. She couldn’t. He lowered the gun but didn’t let go of her arm. Instead, he dragged her toward the car. She stumbled while walking, her legs weak, almost giving up under her weight. He opened the passenger door and pushed her inside. She looked at him one last time before he shut the door. There was no anger on his face. No panic. Just control. He walked around the car and got into the driver’s seat. The engine started. For a moment, everything felt silent except for the sound of rain hitting the roof of the car. She pressed herself against the seat, as far away from him as possible. Her hands were shaking. She could still feel the blood on her cheek. She wiped it with her sleeve, but it only smeared more. The car began to move. She looked out the window as the place where it all happened slowly disappeared behind them. The empty road. The dark night. The rain falling without stopping. No one came to help. No one even knew. Inside the car, the air felt heavy. She wanted to scream, but her voice felt trapped inside her chest. He drove without saying another word. After some time, the city lights faded. Buildings disappeared. The roads became emptier. Trees started appearing on both sides. They were heading somewhere isolated. Somewhere no one would hear her. She closed her eyes for a second, trying to calm her breathing, but every time she blinked, she saw it again — the murder, the blood, his face. She opened her eyes quickly. He noticed. “Don’t even think about running,” he said without looking at her. “It won’t end well.” Her throat felt dry. “Why?” she whispered. “Why are you doing this?” He didn’t answer. The car finally slowed down. They had reached a deserted area. No houses. No streetlights. Just open land and darkness. He stopped the car. For a few seconds, neither of them moved. Outside, the rain kept falling. Steam rose slightly from the car’s hood in the cold air. The headlights cut through the empty space in front of them. Then he turned off the engine. The sudden silence felt worse than the noise. He stepped out first and came to her side again. He opened her door and grabbed her arm before she could react. She didn’t resist this time. She was too scared. As he pulled her out of the car, the only things left behind were the sound of rain and the faint smoke from the exhaust mixing into the night air. The empty road slowly disappeared into darkness. And no one knew where he had taken her.