CHAPTER 11
618 Words
I froze as the shadow moved closer, my heart hammering in my chest. My mind raced—was it an intruder? Someone sent by Kira? Or worse, someone who knew Damian?
“Who’s there?” I demanded, trying to keep my voice steady. My hand hovered over the desk, searching for anything I could use as a weapon.
The figure stepped into the light, and I nearly screamed. It wasn’t Kira. It wasn’t a stranger. It was Damian.
“Damian!” I gasped, relief washing over me so fast it made me dizzy. But something about his expression—sharp, intense, almost… distant—made me pause.
He didn’t smile. He didn’t move closer. He just looked at me like he was measuring me, assessing something I couldn’t name.
“Why are you here? I thought you left,” I said, trying to mask the tremor in my voice.
“I had to make sure you were safe,” he said, finally stepping fully into the room. But his eyes were cold, scanning the corners like he expected an ambush. “Maya, stay close.”
Maya nodded silently, but I could see the tension in her shoulders. This wasn’t just a simple check-in—something bigger was happening.
“Safe?” I echoed. “Safe from what?”
Damian hesitated. He ran a hand through his hair, and I noticed a subtle tension in his jaw. “There are people… people who’ve been watching you for weeks. I didn’t know who exactly, but I know it’s serious. Kira is involved, but she’s not the main problem.”
My stomach dropped. “Not the main problem? Then who…?”
Before he could answer, a loud crash came from the hall outside the office. Papers flew everywhere, and the lights flickered.
I grabbed my chair, ready to defend myself, but Damian was already moving, his hand gripping mine. “Stay behind me,” he ordered.
We turned the corner, and I froze again. There, standing by the elevator, was a man I didn’t recognize. His face was hidden under a hoodie, but the glint of a knife in his hand was unmistakable.
“Who are you?” I shouted, my voice shaking despite Damian’s presence.
The man didn’t answer. He just advanced slowly, deliberately, like he wanted to intimidate us before striking.
Damian pulled me behind him, his body tense, ready to fight. “Run,” he said low, almost a growl.
I wanted to argue, to fight, but instinct took over. We bolted down the hall, weaving through desks, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst. The sound of the man’s footsteps followed us, echoing through the office.
We reached the stairwell, and Damian slammed the door shut behind us. I pressed my back against the cold metal, trying to catch my breath.
“What now?” I whispered, my hands shaking.
Damian’s eyes were fierce, locked on the stairwell door. “We need to figure out who he is—and why he’s after you—before it’s too late.”
Just as he finished speaking, the sound of keys jingling echoed from above. Someone was unlocking the stairwell door.
And then a voice I never wanted to hear again whispered from the shadows: “Going somewhere, Allison?”
I turned slowly, my blood turning to ice.
Kira’s smile was there, but it wasn’t just her. Behind her, another figure stepped forward—a tall man with a presence so intimidating it made me stumble back.
Damian stiffened beside me.
The last thing I saw before the world seemed to collapse around me was the stranger’s eyes locking onto mine.
And then everything went black.
- Writer
