28
815 Words
📖Chapter 28 – The Breaking Door
The wood cracked.
A loud, sharp sound filled the house.
Ara stumbled back, her breath caught in her throat.
Her eyes were locked on the back door.
The small opening was getting wider.
Slowly.
Forcefully.
The hand pushing from the other side did not stop.
It moved with patience.
With control.
As if it knew there was no need to rush.
Fear spread through Ara’s body like ice.
Her fingers tightened around the knife.
Her mind screamed at her to run.
But her legs would not move.
—
Another push.
The door opened a little more.
The dark gap became larger.
And then—
A second hand appeared.
Gripping the edge of the door.
Strong.
Steady.
Ara shook her head, stepping back again.
“No… no…”
Her voice was barely a whisper.
—
The door burst open.
A loud crash echoed in the small house.
Ara flinched, her body freezing completely.
A man stepped inside.
His face was partly hidden in shadow.
But his eyes…
Cold.
Empty.
Watching her like she was nothing more than a task.
Behind him, another figure stood at the door.
Silent.
Waiting.
—
Ara raised the knife with trembling hands.
“Don’t come closer!” she said.
Her voice broke, but she forced herself to stand.
The man stopped for a moment.
Then he tilted his head slightly.
Almost amused.
“You should put that down,” he said calmly.
Ara shook her head.
“Leave… just leave!”
The man took one step forward.
Slow.
Unhurried.
Ara stepped back again.
Her back hit the wall.
She had nowhere else to go.
—
Far away, Jin Woo rode through the night.
His horse moved fast.
Faster than it ever had before.
The cold wind hit his face.
But he did not slow down.
His mind was filled with one thing.
Ara.
A deep fear had taken hold of him.
Stronger with every passing second.
“…Hold on,” he whispered.
“Just hold on…”
—
Back in the house—
The man stepped closer again.
Ara’s hand shook violently now.
“Don’t come closer!” she cried.
But her voice held no strength.
The second man at the door finally moved.
Closing it behind him.
The sound of the lock sliding into place echoed loudly.
Ara’s heart dropped.
They were inside.
Both of them.
—
“Please…” she whispered.
Her eyes filled with tears.
“What do you want?”
The first man looked at her quietly.
Then he said,
“We were told not to answer that.”
Ara’s breath caught.
Told?
By who?
Her mind raced.
A name came to her.
A face.
Cold.
Smiling.
Watching.
“…No…”
She shook her head slowly.
“It can’t be…”
—
The man moved again.
Closer.
Closer.
Ara raised the knife higher.
Her hands trembling.
“Stay back!” she cried.
And this time—
She stepped forward.
Trying to protect herself.
Trying to fight.
—
The man caught her wrist easily.
Too easily.
The knife slipped from her hand and fell to the floor.
The sound echoed loudly.
Ara gasped.
Her body shook.
“No—!”
The second man grabbed her other arm.
Holding her still.
Strong.
Unmoving.
—
Ara struggled.
Kicked.
Tried to pull away.
But it was useless.
They were stronger.
Much stronger.
“Let me go!” she cried.
Her voice broke into tears.
“Please!”
But the men did not respond.
Their faces remained cold.
Empty.
—
Far away—
Jin Woo pushed his horse harder.
His heart pounded wildly.
The unease had turned into something unbearable.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
“…Ara!”
He shouted her name into the dark night.
As if she could hear him.
As if it would reach her.
—
Back in the house—
Ara’s strength slowly faded.
Her movements became weaker.
Her breathing uneven.
Her eyes filled with fear and disbelief.
“…Jin Woo…”
She whispered his name.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
—
One of the men leaned closer.
His voice low.
“You should not have stayed here alone.”
Ara’s eyes widened.
Her heart broke at those words.
Because now—
She understood.
This was planned.
Everything.
—
Outside, the wind rose again.
Strong.
Cold.
The night felt darker than before.
—
And in that darkness…
Something changed.
Something unseen.
Something that watched silently.
—
Far away—
Jin Woo rode faster.
His eyes filled with fear.
And for the first time in years—
He felt powerless.
—
Back in the house—
Ara’s voice faded.
Her strength gone.
Her body weak in their hold.
The lamp flickered violently.
The shadows moved along the walls.
And just before the light dimmed—
Ara’s eyes slowly closed.
—
The night swallowed everything.
And the silence that followed…
Was terrifying.
- Writer
