I didn’t realize I was still holding his hand.
Not until he tried to pull away.
My fingers tightened instinctively.
“Don’t,” I said.
The word slipped out before I could stop it.
He paused.
His gaze dropped to where our hands were joined.
Then slowly… he looked back at me.
There was something different in his eyes this time.
Not just darkness.
Something quieter.
Something I didn’t understand.
---
“You should let go,” he said.
His voice was calm.
But there was a warning beneath it.
“Why?” I asked.
Because for some reason…
Letting go felt worse than holding on.
---
“Because if you don’t,” he replied quietly,
“you won’t want to.”
---
A chill ran through me.
“What does that mean?”
He didn’t answer.
Instead, his grip shifted—gentler now.
Careful.
Like I was something fragile.
---
“You need to leave,” he said.
---
My heart dropped.
“What?”
“This place isn’t safe anymore.”
I shook my head immediately.
“No. No, I’m not going anywhere. This is my house—my family is here—”
“They’re not your problem right now.”
Anger flared instantly.
“Excuse me?”
---
Before I could say anything else—
The lights flickered again.
Violently.
---
The temperature in the room dropped.
Fast.
Too fast.
---
And then—
That feeling came back.
---
Not just one presence this time.
More.
---
My breath hitched.
“You feel that?” I whispered.
---
His expression darkened.
“Yes.”
---
A low sound echoed from somewhere in the house.
Not close.
But not far either.
---
My heart started racing again.
“No… no, that’s not possible. You said it was gone—”
“I said that one was gone.”
---
My stomach twisted.
“What do you mean that one?”
---
He stepped closer.
Not threatening.
But urgent.
---
“They’ve found you,” he said.
---
A cold wave of fear washed over me.
“Who are they?” I asked, my voice barely holding together.
---
His jaw tightened slightly.
“The ones who don’t need permission to take you.”
---
That was enough.
---
Another sound.
Closer this time.
---
Something moved in the hallway.
Fast.
Too fast.
---
My instincts screamed.
Run.
---
Without thinking, I grabbed his hand again.
“Okay,” I said quickly, panic rising. “Okay—fine—we leave. Just—just tell me what to do.”
---
For a split second—
He looked surprised.
---
Then something shifted in his expression.
Something darker.
Stronger.
---
“Stay close,” he said.
---
Before I could react—
The door behind me slammed shut.
---
I screamed.
---
A shadow slid under the door.
Not like before.
This one was faster.
Sharper.
Hungry.
---
“Don’t look at it,” he said immediately.
---
But I already had.
---
And the moment I did—
Something inside me reacted.
---
A sharp pain shot through my head.
I gasped, clutching my temple.
Images flashed again—
Stronger this time.
Clearer.
---
Dark figures.
Voices.
A symbol—
Burning black—
On my skin.
---
I cried out.
---
“Stop fighting it,” he said, grabbing my shoulders.
---
“I’m not—!” I choked.
---
But he shook his head.
“Yes, you are.”
---
The pain grew worse.
My vision blurred.
The room started spinning.
---
“I can’t—” I whispered.
---
“You can,” he said firmly.
---
And then—
He pulled me closer.
---
So close that I could feel everything.
The cold of his skin.
The unnatural stillness of his presence.
The strange… pull between us.
---
“Focus on me,” he said quietly.
---
I looked at him.
At his eyes.
Dark.
Endless.
---
And somehow—
The pain stopped.
---
Just like that.
---
My breathing slowed.
The world steadied.
---
“What… what did you do?” I asked softly.
---
“Nothing,” he said.
“But you did.”
---
Before I could question it—
A loud crash came from downstairs.
---
Something had entered the house.
---
He didn’t hesitate.
---
“We’re leaving. Now.”
---
He grabbed my hand—
And this time—
I didn’t resist.
---
We ran.
---
Down the hallway.
Past the shadows that twisted along the walls.
Past the sounds that didn’t belong in this world.
---
The front door burst open before we even reached it.
---
Cold night air hit my face.
Sharp.
Real.
---
I stumbled outside—
Breathing hard.
Heart racing.
---
He stepped out behind me.
Still holding my hand.
Still not letting go.
---
I turned to look back at the house.
---
And froze.
---
The windows—
They weren’t dark anymore.
---
Something was inside.
Watching.
---
Waiting.
---
My grip on his hand tightened.
“W-what happens now?” I asked.
---
For a moment—
He didn’t answer.
---
Then slowly…
He looked down at me.
---
And said—
---
“You stop running.”
---
My heart skipped.
---
“And start becoming.”
---
As something inside the house slammed against the window from the inside…
I realized—
I didn’t just leave my home behind.
I left my old self with it.
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