Chapter : 4

For three days, Rowan did not speak.

He couldn’t.

His voice had been hollowed out—stolen, ripped from him like a piece of his soul—and the quiet that followed was not peaceful.

It was suffocating.

Elias stayed glued to his side, refusing to leave him. He made warm soup, held Rowan’s trembling hands at night, brushed his hair back when nightmares made him wake shaking.

But nothing hurt him more than the empty silence where Rowan’s voice used to be.

Elias would whisper, “I love you,”

and Rowan would mouth it back,

but the room stayed painfully, brutally silent.

And Elias hated that silence.

Because every time Rowan opened his mouth and nothing came out—

Elias heard the creature laugh somewhere in the walls.

On the fourth night, Rowan woke to the sound of humming.

A slow, familiar melody.

Elias was asleep beside him.

But the humming wasn’t coming from Elias.

It was coming from the dark corner of the room.

Rowan froze.

He couldn’t call out.

Couldn’t wake Elias.

Couldn’t scream.

He could only stare as a shape uncurled itself from the shadows like smoke rising.

The shape had no face tonight.

Just a smooth, pale surface.

Like a mask that hadn’t been carved yet.

It tilted its head, listening to its own humming—a perfect imitation of Elias’s voice. Then it broke into a whisper.

Rowan’s whisper.

“He doesn’t know what you gave up.”

Rowan shook his head violently, backing against the headboard.

The creature crept closer, limbs twisting in ways that made Rowan’s stomach lurch.

“He doesn’t know what I took from you.”

Rowan mouthed the words: Go away.

The creature leaned over him, empty face inches from his.

“But he will.”

A hand—long, jointed wrong—reached toward Elias. Its fingers hovered over Elias’s cheek, nearly touching.

Rowan lunged forward, grabbing its wrist and ripping it away from his sleeping boyfriend.

The creature laughed with Rowan’s stolen voice.

“Ah. Protective.”

It stepped back and melted into the far corner, shadows swallowing it whole.

But before disappearing, it whispered—

“He will break when he discovers the rest.”

And then it was gone.

Rowan shook Elias awake, panic burning through him. Elias sat up fast, eyes scanning him.

“Rowan? Baby, what happened?”

Rowan tried to speak—to say it was here, it touched you, it’s not done—

But he couldn’t.

Nothing came out.

Elias’s face softened with heartbreak. He pulled Rowan into his arms, holding him tightly.

“You don’t have to speak,” he whispered. “I’m right here. I’m not letting it hurt you anymore.”

Rowan closed his eyes and clung to him.

But he knew—

The creature wasn’t done.

The next morning, Elias tried to be normal. He made breakfast, turned on music, opened windows to let in sunlight.

“See?” Elias said softly. “We’re okay.”

Rowan forced a small smile.

Then—

a sudden slam shook the apartment.

Elias jumped. “What was that—?”

They ran to the hallway.

The front door had slammed shut.

Deadbolt locked.

Those same three marks were carved into the wood:

THUD

THUD

THUD

Elias’s face went pale.

“It’s getting stronger again.”

Rowan grabbed his hand tightly.

They stood frozen as something slid under the door—a piece of paper, folded twice.

Elias bent down and picked it up with shaking fingers.

He unfolded it.

And nearly dropped it.

Rowan took it from him, scanning it quickly.

It was a photograph.

Not taken by any camera they owned.

Not taken by any human hand.

It showed Rowan and Elias sleeping—

in their bed—

last night.

Except standing over them…

was a tall shadow.

With Rowan’s stolen face.

Elias dropped into a crouch, hands over his mouth.

“Oh God… oh my God…”

Rowan grabbed his shoulder.

But Elias was trembling too hard.

“It was here,” Elias whispered. “It was watching us. While we slept. Rowan… it was right over you.”

His voice cracked.

“Why didn’t it take me? Why didn’t it hurt you?”

A slow dread sank into Rowan’s stomach.

Because he knew why.

The creature didn’t need Elias’s soul anymore.

It already had something else.

Something worse.

Elias wiped his face with shaking hands. “Rowan… what did you really give it that night?”

Rowan backed away instinctively.

Elias’s eyes widened with fear.

“Rowan… what did it take from you?”

Rowan opened his mouth—

But he couldn’t answer.

His voice wasn’t just gone.

Something else was missing.

Something the creature had hidden inside him.

Shadows flickered at the edge of Rowan’s vision, whispering with his voice.

“He’ll find out soon.”

And Elias whispered, terrified:

“Baby… what… did you trade?”

Rowan touched his chest.

Right where his heartbeat felt… wrong.

The creature hadn’t taken just his voice.

It had taken a piece of something far deeper.

And it was still inside him.

Breathing with him.

Waiting.

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