Chapter 23: The First Encounter
704 Words
Chapter 23: The First Encounter
Sofia’s sleep was shallow, broken by the memories of the previous night.
The tapping. The shadow. The fear.
It didn’t feel distant anymore.
It felt close.
Too close.
She sat on the edge of the bed, her bare feet brushing the cold floor, heart hammering against her chest.
A soft creak came from the hallway.
Her breath hitched.
Her hand gripped the sheets tightly.
The creak repeated, slow. Deliberate. Like someone—or something—was walking toward her.
She froze, unable to move.
Unable to even think.
Her mind raced.
Maybe it’s a trick of the mind… maybe I’m imagining it… maybe…
The thought didn’t even finish before a shadow flickered across the wall outside her door.
A dark, thin figure that stretched too long, moving unnaturally.
Her pulse jumped.
It wasn’t human.
Not exactly.
The figure paused.
And then it vanished.
Her chest tightened.
It wasn’t gone.
She could feel it.
Watching. Waiting.
The room suddenly felt too small.
The air too thick.
Her phone on the bedside table vibrated.
A message.
She picked it up, trembling.
Leave. Now. Before it’s too late.
Her fingers shook.
She dropped the phone.
The shadow appeared again—this time inside the room.
She gasped.
It hovered near the corner, indistinct but dark.
Her breath caught in her throat.
She tried to move—her legs wouldn’t obey.
Her voice refused to come out.
She was frozen.
Then—
A whisper.
Soft.
Cold.
Barely audible.
You shouldn’t be here.
Her entire body shivered.
“What… who’s there?” she whispered.
No answer.
Just the faintest movement.
The shadow grew closer.
Her pulse slammed in her ears.
Her eyes darted around the room, searching for escape.
Then—
Adrian.
He appeared in the doorway, calm but deadly.
Sofia felt a flicker of relief—but it lasted only a second.
His eyes narrowed at the shadow.
“Stay behind me,” he said quietly.
Her heart raced.
He stepped forward.
The shadow hesitated.
Then recoiled slightly, like it recognized him.
Sofia watched, frozen, as Adrian’s presence seemed to push it back.
But the thing wasn’t gone.
It circled.
Watching her.
She noticed its shape—faintly human, yet twisted, unnatural.
It moved like water, flowing across the floor, stretching and shrinking unpredictably.
Her stomach churned.
“You… can see it?” she whispered, almost unable to believe the words were hers.
Adrian’s gaze didn’t leave the figure.
“Yes,” he said shortly. “And it’s drawn to you. You’re the reason it’s here.”
Her heart skipped.
“Why me?” she asked, voice trembling.
“Because it thinks you’re her,” he said.
Sofia shook her head.
“Who?”
“Her,” Adrian replied. “The woman in the photographs. The one whose life ended in this house. You… remind it of her.”
She stumbled back slightly, shaking.
“It… it’s a copy of her?”
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“No. It’s worse. It isn’t alive, and it isn’t dead. It’s something in between. And it doesn’t forgive.”
Sofia’s stomach dropped.
The shadow moved closer.
She could see faint outlines now—like torn, translucent skin stretched over a hollow frame.
Eyes—but no pupils.
Mouth—but no lips.
It wasn’t human.
It wasn’t real.
And yet…
It was in the room with her.
Her fingers curled into fists.
“I… I don’t understand…” she whispered.
“You will,” Adrian said calmly, stepping closer. “But for now, you need to do exactly what I say.”
Her body tensed.
“I—I will.”
The shadow paused, its head tilting unnaturally toward her.
Sofia felt its gaze like ice cutting through her chest.
Her pulse raced.
Adrenaline surged.
She knew—
Whatever this was, it wasn’t going to stop.
And now…
She was in the center of it.
The shadow took a step.
Sofia froze completely.
But Adrian’s hand found hers, gripping it firmly.
“You’re not alone,” he whispered.
For the first time in the room, she believed him.
But fear still clung to her.
Because the shadow wasn’t going anywhere.
And neither was the danger it brought.
- Writer
