Chapter three

Mira Pov

 For a second, I didn’t move. I was still holding Grandma’s hand, kneeling on the floor, trying to process the final words she had forced out.

“They’re here.”

Outside, something shifted on the porch. It wasn't loud or dramatic, but it was heavy enough that I knew it wasn’t the wind. My brain refused to accept it at first. What exactly are you supposed to do when your grandmother gives you a cryptic warning right before heavy footsteps approach your front door? There isn’t a manual for this.

 “Grandma?” I whispered again, squeezing her hand a little tighter. “Who is here?”

 She didn’t answer. Her eyes remained open, but her gaze was empty, staring right through me. That was when I heard it clearly—a second set of footsteps joined the first. Then a third. They weren't rushing. They walked with a steady, terrifying patience, like people who knew their target had nowhere left to hide.

 My stomach dropped. Okay. Nope.

 I slowly lowered her hand onto the floor and stood up, my legs feeling like lead. My eyes stayed fixed on the front door—the door I had definitely failed to close all the way when I panicked and ran inside. Because of course I hadn’t.

For a second, I didn’t move.

“Okay,” I whispered to myself again, because apparently I talk to myself when I’m about to die. “This is fine. This is totally fine.”

The door creaked open wider.

And I saw them.

Three figures.

Standing there like they had all the time in the world.

Tall.

Covered in dark clothes.

Their faces weren’t fully visible, but I could feel their attention lock onto me immediately.

Not like normal people looking at someone.

More like… confirming something.

One of them tilted his head slightly.

And I swear, I felt it in my chest.

Like recognition.

I took a step back without thinking.

Bad idea.

The moment I moved, all three of them moved at the same time.

Not running,Just stepping forward.

Calm.Certain.Like they already knew I wasn’t going anywhere.

“Stay back,” I said, though my voice didn’t sound like mine at all.

It sounded small.

The first figure stepped into the house.

Then the second.Then the third.They didn’t look around.

They didn’t react to the mess.

They came in like they already knew exactly what they were here for.

My body started to feel cold in a way I couldn’t explain.

One of them finally spoke.

His voice wasn’t loud.It didn’t need to be.

“She’s here.”

My heart jumped.

“She?” I repeated before I could stop myself.

The man turned his head slightly toward me.

And even though I couldn’t see his full face, I could feel it.

He was looking directly at me.

“Don’t,” I said quickly, taking another step back. “Don’t come closer.”

That got no reaction.None at all.

Instead, the second one lifted his hand slightly like he was signaling something and that was when everything went wrong,the air in the room changed.

Not metaphorically.

It actually felt different.

He moved first.

Fast.Way faster than a normal person should.I barely had time to react before I turned and ran.Straight into the hallway.Behind me, I heard footsteps immediately.

Not slow anymore.

Not calm.

Still controlled, but now… chasing.

“Grandma!” I shouted without thinking.

No answer.Of course.I didn’t look back.

I ran past the broken frame, almost slipping on the glass, and pushed through the side door leading out of the kitchen.

The moment I hit the backyard air, it felt colder.I didn’t stop.

I just kept running.I could hear them behind me now.

Closer than I wanted.

Too close.

Branches hit my arms as I pushed through the side path, but I didn’t care. Pain didn’t matter right now. Thinking didn’t matter right now.

Only distance.

I reached the back gate and shoved it open hard enough that it slammed against the fence.

I ran into the narrow alley behind our house.

Bad idea number two.

The alley was tight.

No lights.No easy exit.

Just walls and trash bins and nowhere to go except forward.

But I didn’t have time to rethink it.

Footsteps hit the ground behind me again.Faster now Closer.

I turned a corner sharply and nearly collided with a trash bin.

I caught myself, breathing hard, heart basically trying to escape my chest.

“What do you want from me?” I yelled back without thinking.

Silence answered me.Then one voice.Same calm tone as before.

“You already know.”

That made something inside me snap.

Because I didn’t know.

I really didn’t.

I started running again.

My legs were burning now, but I pushed anyway. The alley opened slightly into a wider street ahead, and I aimed for it like my life depended on it.

Because it did.

I burst out onto the road—

And stopped so suddenly I almost fell backward.

A car.Parked right in front of me.Black.Engine off.Lights out.

Just sitting there like it had been waiting.

My breath caught.Behind me, footsteps slowed.

They weren’t rushing anymore.Because now they didn’t have to.I turned my head slowly.They were at the end of the alley.

Blocking it completely.

One step forward and I was trapped.

One step back and I was done.

I stood there, breathing hard, looking between the car and the men.

My brain was screaming at me to move, but there was nowhere to go.

Then the driver’s door of the car opened.

And someone stepped out.

That was when I realized this wasn’t just a chase anymore.

It was a capture.

And I had already lost.