Chapter 10: THE VOICE IN THE DARK
934 Words
The stranger’s warning echoed through her mind.
“If you want the truth, stop trusting the people who say they love you.”
Those words had followed her home like a shadow. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the image of the shallow grave… the white wedding dress covered in dirt… and the little girl who had looked at her with tear-filled eyes and whispered, “Mommy.”
Morning sunlight spilled through the curtains, but instead of bringing peace, it only made the nightmares feel more real.
A soft knock came at her bedroom door.
“Lena?” Sophia called gently. “Are you awake?”
Elena forced herself to answer.
“I’m coming.”
She quickly hid the notebook where she had written every strange memory that had returned over the past week. She couldn’t explain why, but she no longer felt comfortable letting anyone see her thoughts.
Not even Sophia.
⸻
Downstairs, breakfast was already on the table.
Sophia smiled warmly.
“You look exhausted.”
“I didn’t sleep much.”
“You’ve been under a lot of stress.”
Elena nodded without replying.
Across the room, the television played the morning news.
A reporter stood outside Ashford Manor.
“The Ashford family has once again declined to comment on renewed public interest surrounding the disappearance of their heiress, Elena Ashford…”
Sophia quickly picked up the remote and switched the television off.
The silence that followed felt… deliberate.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Elena said quietly.
“I don’t want those stories upsetting you.”
Elena stared at her.
Or was she trying to stop her from hearing something?
⸻
After breakfast, Elena excused herself and quietly left the house.
She wasn’t going for a walk.
She was looking for the stranger.
The man had told her to come alone if she wanted answers.
She returned to the abandoned church where they’d met the night before.
The building was empty.
Dust floated through broken stained-glass windows.
No footsteps.
No voices.
Only silence.
For a moment she thought she had been fooled.
Then she noticed an envelope resting on the altar.
It had only one word written across the front.
Elena.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Inside was a single photograph.
She froze.
The picture showed her.
Not in a wedding dress.
Not six months ago.
It had been taken only three weeks earlier.
She was standing beside a black SUV outside an unfamiliar building.
Smiling.
Happy.
“I don’t remember this…”
Her hands trembled.
Written on the back was another message.
“You were never missing.”
⸻
“What does that mean?”
She whispered the words aloud.
“You weren’t supposed to find that.”
Elena spun around.
The stranger stood near the doorway.
His expression was tense.
“You came.”
“You lied to me,” Elena snapped.
“What do you mean?”
“You said I disappeared.”
“I did.”
She held up the photograph.
“Then explain this.”
The man’s face lost all color.
“So… they didn’t destroy every copy.”
“You know this place?”
He nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“A private medical facility.”
Elena frowned.
“A hospital?”
“No.”
He hesitated.
“It doesn’t officially exist.”
⸻
She stepped closer.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Adrian.”
“Adrian what?”
“That’s safer for now.”
“I don’t trust you.”
“You shouldn’t.”
“What?”
“You shouldn’t trust anyone.”
His answer only deepened her confusion.
Adrian looked around nervously before lowering his voice.
“Six months ago, someone paid a fortune to erase your life.”
Elena stared at him.
“They erased your identity.”
“They erased your memories.”
“And they replaced your body with someone else’s.”
Her breathing stopped.
“No…”
“The woman buried in your place wasn’t you.”
“I know.”
“But she wasn’t chosen by accident.”
⸻
Elena’s legs felt weak.
“Who was she?”
Adrian looked away.
“I don’t know.”
“But whoever she was… she died because someone needed the world to believe Elena Ashford no longer existed.”
“Why?”
“Because dead people stop asking questions.”
⸻
A loud engine interrupted them.
Both turned toward the road.
A black SUV had pulled up outside the church.
Adrian cursed under his breath.
“They found us.”
“Who?”
“The people who took everything from you.”
Without another word, he grabbed Elena’s wrist.
“We have to run.”
⸻
They raced through the back of the abandoned church.
Branches scraped Elena’s arms as they entered the forest.
Behind them came shouting.
“Search the area!”
“They couldn’t have gone far!”
Elena looked back.
Three men in black suits spread through the trees.
Each wore an earpiece.
None looked like police officers.
“They’re following us!”
“I know.”
Adrian pulled her behind a fallen tree.
“Stay quiet.”
Heavy footsteps approached.
Elena covered her mouth to stop herself from breathing too loudly.
One of the men stopped only a few meters away.
His phone rang.
“Yes, sir,” he answered.
“…No.”
“…We only found him.”
He paused.
His eyes slowly scanned the forest.
Then he said words that made Elena’s blood run cold.
“We’ll make sure Elena Ashford disappears again.”
- Writer
