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By the time I reached my apartment, I was drenched, my clothes clinging to my body.
But the cold didn’t bother me.
I stepped inside, locked the door behind me, and sank into my couch, the weight of my emotions finally catching up.
The silence of the night enveloped me, broken only by the rhythmic beat of rain against the windowpane.
The longing for Ceara was still there, raw and unyielding.
But for now, I took solace in the familiar surroundings of my home, letting the sounds, smells, and sensations of Earth anchor me in the present.
But something was wrong…
* * *
The first sign was the smell.
That distinctly musky, metallic odor that seemed oddly out of place in the earthy surroundings of my home.
It was an alien aroma, one I had come to associate with the cold, sterile chambers of Ikmal.
My heart raced as my eyes darted around, searching for the source.
The silence was deafening, every creak of the wooden floor amplifying my growing sense of dread.
The dim lighting casting eerie shadows that played tricks on my eyes, but I could sense a presence — a lurking darkness that felt all too familiar.
And then, from the corner of the room, a figure stepped out, bringing the chilling memories of the past rushing back.
His title was on my lips before I could think:
“The Supervisor…”
I took a step back, instinctively, my fingers clenching around my keys, the sharp edges biting into my skin.
The faint aroma of my lavender-scented hand lotion seemed laughably out of place given the circumstances.
It seemed wrong, totally unnatural, for his huge form to occupy the blandness of my apartment.
Like a nightmare become real.
His cold eyes bore into mine, reflecting the soft glow of the streetlights outside. “Ellie,” he began, his voice a gravelly whisper that sent shivers down my spine, “there’s been a… complication.”
My apartment, once my safe haven, now felt like a prison.
“I had intended on keeping my word,” he continued, his footsteps resonating on my wooden floor as he moved closer, “but now I find myself in a position where I can’t. You must return to Ceara.”
Panic surged through me.
The faint chirping of the night crickets outside sharp against the suffocating tension inside.
I took another step back, my feet tangling in the soft fabric of my living room rug, sending me off balance.
But I couldn’t, wouldn’t, turn my back to him.
I could hear the faint, distant sound of traffic outside — so close yet so far away.
My mind raced, searching for an escape, a way out.
