Chapter 5
1001 Words
Darkness consumed her consciousness, but Cassandra's body felt like it was wandering somewhere, as if something unseen was pushing her forward. The void felt endless, hollow, stretching, pulling her deeper into its embrace.
She didn’t know how long she drifted there. Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Time felt meaningless in the overwhelming blackness.
Just as she was about to surrender to the loop of darkness, a faint light flickered ahead. Desperate, she ran toward it, her breath hitching with each step. The moment her fingers brushed against it, the light exploded, swallowing her whole.
Suddenly, she was back in the living room of her new home—but something was wrong.
The air was thick with tension. Three shadowed figures loomed in the doorway, their eyes fixed on her. Fear coiled in her stomach, an instinctual reaction she couldn’t suppress. She tried to move, to scream, but her body refused to respond.
A sudden shift in the atmosphere sent a shiver down her spine. A cold breeze swept through the room, sharp as a blade, pressing against her skin like an unspoken warning-something dangerous was coming. The tension grew suffocating, a primal dread settling deep in her bones.
Then, she heard it.
Footsteps. Slow, deliberate. Each step vibrated through the floor, echoing like a death toll. Even in the haze of her dream, her body trembled.
Cassandra's eyes darted toward the main door- just in time to see Arziah step inside.
But, it wasn't the Arziah she knew.
His usual calm demeanor was gone. His muscles were tensed like a predator ready to strike. And his eyes-those piercing blue eyes- were glowing, an unnatural radiance.
He spoke to the intruders, but the words were lost to her, drowned out by the deafening silence of the dream. She could only watch as their expressions shifted. Their irises burned red, their fangs lengthened, and their nails sharpened into deadly claws, as all three of them lunged for an attack.
Fear surged through her, but before she could even process it, Arziah moved.
It was terrifying.
One moment, the men were attacking. The next, the room was a blur of motion. Bones crunched. Bodies slammed into walls with sickening force. The men fought back, but they were no match for him.
Cassandra could only watch in horror.
This wasn’t a fight. It was a slaughter.
Her breath came in ragged gasps as she took in the scene before her.
Was this really the same man who had been so gentle with her?
One of the intruders staggered back, raising a knife—only for Arziah to catch his wrist and twist. A sickening snap echoed through the room.
Cassandra flinched.
This is just a dream, Cassandra reminded herself, but the thought did little to calm her racing heart.
She realized she had been holding her breath the entire time. When the fight ended, her knees gave out, and she gasped for air.
Her eyes locked onto Arziah, his clothes soaked in blood, crimson splattered across his face.
Her legs trembled as she took a hesitant step forward. Her fingers twitched as if longing to reach for him—to touch him, to ground herself in something real. But before she could, Arziah’s gaze locked onto hers.
And she froze.
It felt… wrong.
As if he could really see her.
His piercing blue eyes bore into hers, his expression unreadable. But beneath the cold, ruthless-exterior, she glimpsed something vulnerable.
As if he didn’t want her to see him like this.
Cassandra’s pulse pounded in her ears. Was this still a dream? Or was it something more?
Before she could find the answer, the world around her began to blur.
Arziah’s figure melted away as darkness swallowed her once more.
---
She jolted upright in bed, sucking in a sharp breath. Her heart slammed against her ribs, her body trembling from the remnants of the dream.
Her skin was damp with sweat. Her breath came in shallow gasps.
It was just a dream.
But her heart pounded as if it had been real.
She turned her head and nearly jumped when she saw Arziah sitting beside her. His expression was unreadable, but concern flickered in his eyes.
"You're awake," he said, his voice low.
She swallowed hard. "What… what happened?"
"You collapsed," he explained. "I brought you back here." His gaze searched hers, as if looking for something.
Her fingers clenched the sheets. She wasn’t sure if the trembling in her hands was from exhaustion or the remnants of tension she felt from her dream.
"You were mumbling in your sleep."Arziah’s gaze didn’t waver. “Nightmare?”
Cassandra hesitated. "Something like that." She uttered, unwilling to explain further.
Before he could say more, her phone buzzed on the nightstand. She reached for it, blinking when she saw the caller ID.
Uncle Alex.
Her chest tightened. She hesitated for only a second before answering.
"Uncle?"
"Thank God, Cassie. Are you okay?" His voice was filled with worry.
"Yes, Uncle, I’m okay," she said, trying to reassure him.
“I just got word about—” A loud noise interrupted him, followed by muffled voices. His breathing turned sharp, tense. “Never mind. I’ll explain later.”
A pause. Then, his voice lowered.
“Just… be careful, Andra. And remember, no matter what, my son will protect you.”
And then the line went dead.
A cold sense of unease settled in Cassandra’s stomach.
What had he been about to say? What was going on?
Before she could dwell on it, another notification popped up on her screen.
A message.
From an unknown number.
Her breath hitched as she opened it.
Two simple words stared back at her.
*I’m back.*
The world seemed to tilt.
Cassandra’s fingers tightened around the phone, her heart slamming against her ribs.
It couldn’t be.
No.
Her vision blurred as the past came rushing back, the pain, the betrayal—
Her throat went dry.
There was only one person who would send this.
Her ex-lover.
- Writer
