EPISODE 3:THE FIRST ATTACK
733 Words
The scream tore from Elara’s throat before she could stop it. She scrambled off the bed, nearly tripping over her own feet as she backed against the wall. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her heart slamming against her ribs.
The room was empty.
But she knew better.
The whisper—so close, right beside her ear—still echoed in her mind. Why did you call him?
Her phone vibrated violently in her hand. Theo’s name flashed on the screen.
Without hesitation, she answered. “Theo,” she breathed, her voice trembling.
“Elara?” He sounded half-asleep, confused. “What the hell? Are you okay?”
No. She wasn’t.
But she couldn’t tell him that. Not over the phone. Not when she could still feel it lingering in the shadows of her room.
“I—I need to see you,” she whispered. “Right now.”
Theo was silent for a moment. Then, in a serious tone, he said, “I’m coming.”
Elara barely heard him hang up. She was too focused on her surroundings, scanning the corners of the room, looking for any sign of movement.
Nothing.
But it was still there.
She could feel it, pressing against her skin like invisible hands. Watching. Waiting.
It was angry.
---
Theo arrived fifteen minutes later, his car screeching to a stop in front of her house.
Elara ran outside before he could even knock, practically yanking him inside and locking the door behind them.
“Elara, what the hell is going on?” he demanded.
She didn’t answer. Instead, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him up the stairs to her room.
It was empty, just as she had left it. But the air was thick, heavy with something unseen.
Theo looked around, his brow furrowing. “Okay, you wanna tell me why you’re acting like a serial killer is after you?”
Elara hesitated. She had never told anyone about what she could see. Not even Theo.
But after tonight, after hearing that whisper so close to her ear, she couldn’t keep it inside anymore.
“I see things,” she said quietly.
Theo frowned. “What?”
“I see things,” she repeated. “Things that aren’t… supposed to be there.”
A long silence stretched between them.
Theo studied her, his face unreadable. “Like ghosts?”
She nodded slowly.
He ran a hand through his messy hair, exhaling sharply. “Okay. That’s… a lot. And this has been happening for how long?”
“All my life.”
Theo whistled low. “Damn. You could’ve mentioned that before.”
Elara almost laughed. “Yeah, well, it’s not exactly easy to bring up.”
Theo opened his mouth to say something else—
And then the lights flickered.
They both froze.
A deep, guttural sound filled the room. A low growl, like something ancient and hungry.
“Elara,” Theo whispered, his voice barely audible. “Tell me that was your stomach.”
She didn’t answer.
Because she knew exactly what it was.
Her blood ran cold as the air in the room dropped to freezing. The shadows in the corners seemed to stretch, dark tendrils slithering along the walls like living things.
Then, something moved.
Theo saw it.
Elara felt his entire body go rigid beside her.
“Theo,” she said urgently. “We need to leave. Now.”
But it was too late.
The shadow lunged.
A force like icy claws wrapped around Elara’s wrist, yanking her forward. She screamed, her body jerking violently as if something invisible was trying to pull her into the dark.
Theo grabbed her other arm. “Elara! Hold on!”
The force was impossibly strong. It felt like she was being dragged into a bottomless pit, a void colder than death itself.
She struggled, kicking and thrashing, her free hand clawing at the air. But the darkness wouldn’t let go.
“Elara!” Theo’s voice was desperate, his grip tightening on her wrist. “Fight it!”
A whisper slithered into her ear.
“You shouldn’t have told him.”
And then, suddenly—
It let go.
Elara collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath. Her entire body trembled as she stared at the space where the shadow had been.
It was gone.
But she knew it wasn’t over.
It was just the beginning.
---
- Writer
