THE SHADOW THAT FOLLOW
1051 Words
The Alley
The alley was too quiet.
The kind of quiet that wasn’t just an absence of sound—but a presence. A tension humming beneath the surface, waiting to snap.
I wasn’t the type to scare easily. But something in the air had changed. Thickened. Like the night itself was watching me.
I swallowed hard, forcing my pulse to slow. Think, Ava. Don’t panic.
That sharp crack I’d heard could’ve been anything—a stray cat, a drunk stumbling home. But my instincts, the same ones that had kept me alive all these years, whispered something else.
I wasn’t alone.
Slowly, I turned, my senses stretched thin. My hand ached for a weapon—something solid, something that would give me a fighting chance. But I had nothing except the steady rush of adrenaline in my veins.
Then I saw it.
A flicker of movement. A shadow against the brick wall—wrong, shifting in a way that defied logic.
Not a person. Not something human.
A chill crawled up my spine.
"Who’s there?" My voice was steady. I wasn’t sure how.
No answer. Just the wind curling through the alley, carrying whispers I couldn't quite catch.
Then—a rush of air.
Before I could react, something lunged.
I barely threw myself backward in time. A dark mass streaked past, moving too fast—a blur of motion and cold. My back hit the ground, breath tearing from my lungs as I rolled instinctively, bracing for another attack.
Nothing came.
I scrambled upright, my chest heaving. My mind reeled. What the hell was that?
The figure—if I could even call it that—was already shifting, twisting as it slipped deeper into the alley. It moved like smoke, like a shadow barely tethered to this world.
But in that split second before it vanished, I saw them.
Eyes.
Burning silver.
Just like his.
Kael.
A shudder ran through me. Was that him? Had he come back? Or was this something worse?
I took an unsteady step toward the street, every instinct screaming at me to leave.
Whatever it was…
It had been watching me.
And it wasn’t done.
---
The Aftermath
I didn’t go home.
Instead, I walked—fast, my thoughts circling like vultures. I needed something solid beneath my feet. Somewhere I could think without the weight of unseen eyes pressing against me.
The city was alive, neon lights flickering, car horns blaring, people laughing like the night wasn’t splitting apart around them. It felt… normal. Painfully unaware of the nightmare that had just brushed against me.
Eventually, I found myself at The Ember, a quiet 24-hour café tucked between two buildings. It was small, warm, and—most importantly—empty.
The bell above the door chimed softly as I stepped inside. The scent of coffee and vanilla wrapped around me, grounding me just enough to shake off the lingering fear.
I slid into a booth at the back, pressing my palms to the table.
Think.
The pain. The pull toward Kael. The way his presence had nearly unraveled something inside me.
And now… this.
A shadow that moved like it was alive. That had watched me. That had nearly attacked.
This wasn’t a coincidence.
I pulled out my phone, hesitating before typing a single name.
Kael.
Nothing.
I frowned, adding keywords, trying to trace the accident—the car that had nearly hit me.
Still nothing.
A frustrated breath slipped through my lips.
Then, on impulse, I tried something else.
Ancient magic. Cursed bond. Supernatural love.
This time, the results were different.
Legends. Stories buried in folklore—about lovers bound by fate, yet cursed to destroy each other. Some spoke of gods who had punished them, others of an ancient force that kept their souls apart across lifetimes.
But one thing remained the same in every version.
Whenever they got too close, something terrible happened.
My blood ran cold.
This wasn’t just a myth.
This was exactly what had happened tonight.
I stared at the screen, pulse pounding.
This wasn’t fate.
This was a curse.
---
A Familiar Presence
"You shouldn’t be looking for answers you’re not ready to find."
The voice was low, quiet.
And right behind me.
My entire body went rigid.
Slowly, I turned.
Kael.
He stood there, dark and undeniable, a fitted black coat draped over his broad frame. His silver eyes pinned me in place, sharp as a blade pressed against my throat.
Without a word, he slid into the seat across from me, gaze never leaving mine.
"You followed me."
His jaw clenched. "No, Ava. You’re the one who won’t stop pulling me back."
Something in his voice sent a shiver through me.
It wasn’t anger.
It was pain.
I swallowed hard, refusing to break eye contact. "Then tell me the truth."
Kael exhaled sharply, bracing his arms on the table. His presence was too much this close, like he was something the world struggled to contain.
"You don’t want the truth," he murmured.
"Try me."
His fingers curled into fists. Silence stretched between us, heavy and unyielding.
Then, finally—
"Our bond is real," he admitted, voice rough. "But it’s not a blessing. It’s a curse. One that has followed us across lifetimes."
A lump formed in my throat. "Lifetimes?"
Kael nodded. "We’ve met before, Ava. Over and over again. Each time, we get close, we try, we fight—"
His voice turned hoarse. "And each time, one of us dies."
The café suddenly felt too small. The air, too thick.
I could barely breathe. "That doesn’t make sense."
"It never does," he said bitterly. "But it always ends the same."
His eyes flickered with something unreadable—regret, sorrow.
And maybe… hope.
I wasn’t sure what scared me more. The curse itself.
Or the terrifying need to defy it.
"I don’t believe in fate," I whispered.
Kael’s lips curled into something sad. "Neither do I."
For the first time, I reached across the table.
My fingers barely brushed his skin.
Pain.
A blinding, searing agony tore through me. My breath hitched, my vision blurred, my body burned—
And then—
The world shattered.
Darkness crashed over me.
The last thing I heard was Kael’s voice, rough and desperate.
"Ava, let go!”
- Writer
