CHAPTER 4

First Person's Perspective

Elena

The guards held my arms tight as they dragged me down the cold hallway. Their grip was painful, their fingers digging into my skin like iron shackles. I didn’t fight them. There was no use. Fighting would only make things worse. My body ached from exhaustion, and my mind was too drained to resist. They shoved me into the small, dark room, and I stumbled forward, barely catching myself before I hit the cold stone floor. The heavy metal door slammed shut behind me, and the sharp sound of the key turning in the lock sent a shiver down my spine.

I was alone again.

I stood there for a moment, staring at the door, my breathing ragged. The silence in the room felt thick, pressing down on me like an invisible weight. My legs trembled as I sank to the floor, pressing my back against the freezing wall. A lump formed in my throat, and before I could stop it, hot tears streamed down my cheeks.

I cried hard, my sobs shaking my whole body. My shoulders trembled as I buried my face in my hands. I cried until my throat felt raw, until my head pounded from the effort. The loneliness, the fear—it was too much. My body felt too heavy to move. My chest rose and fell with shaky breaths as I curled up on the thin, hard mattress in the corner, clutching my knees to my chest.

Sleep. That was the only escape I had left. If I slept, I wouldn’t have to think. I wouldn’t have to feel.

Just as I started to drift off, I heard something.

Footsteps.

My eyes snapped open. The room was dark, silent. My breath hitched, my body stiffening. I listened carefully, straining my ears, but there was nothing. No sounds. No movement.

Maybe I imagined it. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me, twisting my exhaustion into paranoia.

I wiped my face with shaky hands and lay back down, forcing myself to stay calm. My heart was still hammering in my chest, but I took slow, deep breaths, willing myself to relax.

Then I felt it.

A presence.

Someone was standing over me.

A chill ran down my spine. My body froze. A strange, suffocating energy filled the room, heavy like a thick fog pressing down on my chest. My instincts screamed at me to move, to run, but I couldn’t. I was paralyzed with fear.

Slowly, I turned my head.

And I saw him.

A man. Tall, his figure cloaked in darkness. He stood at the foot of my bed, his entire body wrapped in a long black cloak that draped to the floor. The shadows clung to him like a second skin, making it impossible to see his face.

But his eyes…

They burned. Two glowing red orbs, like embers in the dark, locked onto me with an intensity that sent a wave of ice-cold terror through my veins.

I opened my mouth to scream, but before I could, he moved.

His hand shot out, fingers closing around my ankle. His grip was inhumanly strong, his fingers like steel shackles digging into my flesh. His touch was deathly cold, like frozen metal pressed against my skin. A sickening chill spread from the point of contact, seeping into my bones.

I gasped, thrashing against his grip. Panic flooded my system, sending me into a frenzy. I kicked, twisted, tried to pull away, but he didn’t budge.

He yanked me toward him, his strength effortless, his grip unbreakable.

“You will die,” he hissed. His voice was rough, guttural, like the sound of shattered glass scraping against stone. The words slithered through the air, each syllable dripping with venom. “I will make sure you never see the light of day again.”

A strangled scream tore from my throat. Terror consumed me. My lungs burned as I struggled, my hands clawing at the floor, trying desperately to find something—anything—to hold on to.

“Let me go! Please!” I sobbed, my voice breaking. Tears streamed down my face, my entire body shaking with fear. “Please!”

His grip tightened. I could feel the bruises forming under his fingers. His glowing red eyes bore into mine, unblinking, merciless.

“No one will believe you,” he whispered, his voice lower now, almost amused. “They will think you are mad.”

My breath hitched. His words cut through me like a blade. The certainty in his voice sent a fresh wave of horror through me.

Then, suddenly—

BANG!

The door flew open, slamming against the wall with a deafening crash.

Light flooded the room.

Ares stood there, his expression twisted in annoyance. His sharp gaze scanned the space before landing on me.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he snapped. “Why are you screaming like a crazy person?”

I was still shaking. My chest heaved as I gasped for air. My entire body felt weak, like I had just been pulled from the edge of death itself. I turned, pointing with a trembling hand at the empty space where the cloaked man had been.

“H-He was here!” I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper. “A man in black—he grabbed me—he said he was going to kill me!”

Ares frowned, his sharp eyes narrowing. He took a slow step into the room, glancing around carefully. His expression remained unreadable as he scanned the space. Then he turned back to me, his gaze colder now, more calculating.

“There’s no one here,” he said slowly, his voice flat.

“I saw him!” I shouted, my voice breaking with desperation. “His eyes—they were red! He spoke to me! He touched me!”

Ares sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He turned to the guards behind him. “Search the room. Check the cameras.”

The guards moved in, methodical and professional. They checked under the bed, behind the door, every inch of the space. One of them walked out to check the small security screen outside.

A few moments later, he returned. His face was blank as he shook his head. “Nothing,” he said. “No one came in. The cameras only show her—screaming, crying, talking to herself.”

Ares let out another sigh. His expression hardened as he crossed his arms. “You’re seeing things,” he said. “There’s no one here.”

I stared at him, my entire body still trembling. My lips parted, but no words came out. My mind screamed at me to fight, to make them believe me. But the way they were looking at me…

Like I was crazy.

Like I had imagined it all.

But I knew what I saw.

The man in the black cloak was real.

And he was coming for me.