Some days after the boardroom scenario…
The night was eerily quiet.
Too silent, that it carried something mysterious.
Elara wore her jacket and walked out of Monroe Enterprises. Her heels clicked against the
pavement. The sound echoed louder than normal. Her heart pulsed suddenly with every step
taken.
At that moment, her phone vibrated. She pulled it out. But there was no notification. No
messages. No calls. Just an empty screen. Her brows furrowed in confusion.
"Was this my
imagination?"
Just then, her eyes caught sight of a shadowy figure at the far end of the lot. A man. Broad
shouldered. Dressed in black, she thought. The second she blinked, the man was gone.
Elara stood still.
"Who's there? Show yourself"
, Elara said, voice shaken.
But there was no response.
"Was someone there? Or was it my illusion?"
, she questioned
herself.
She brushed the thought off and fastened her pace.
And then…
Her phone beeped again. And still it was the same. Her temperature rose. Her palms, damp
with sweat. It was strange.
And behind her, there were footsteps. Slow and precise. The footsteps moved in rhythm with
hers. Her heart throbbed. She turned around, but there was no one. Just an empty street.
Her chest grew heavy. Sweat dripped from her face. She took a face wipe from her purse and
wiped the sweat off her face. She muttered.
"Get a hold of yourself, Elara. Don't be scared.
You're seeing things"
.
But was she? Was it an illusion or reality?
A whisper crept into her mind "But the last time you said that, you were wrong. There was a
reason to be scared. It was him"
.
"No!!"
, she pressed her head and screamed.
"It can't be. I saw it"
.
She quickened her steps but the footsteps followed once more. She walked, then paused. And
the footsteps did the same. She turned again but no one was present.
"This is awkward. Someone's playing with me"
, she muttered under her breath.
A cold chill ran down her spine. Her phone buzzed. This time, a message.
It was from an anonymous number.
"You're running?"
Her breath caught, her hands shaking so hard that she nearly dropped the phone. She typed
back immediately.
"Who are you? What do you mean?"
She waited for a reply. But none came forth.
She swallowed a lump in her throat. Those words were familiar to her. Those were the exact
words he said that night. It still stuck to her like the scar at her back.
She moved towards the parking lot. Cars lined neatly. It was too silent. She shoved her hand in
her purse for her keys, fingers trembling. The keys slipped, falling to the ground. As she bent to
pick it, her eyes flickered towards a man standing between the rows of cars. Silently watching.
The man was gone.
"But… I… I just saw someone"
, she stuttered, fear and worry etched on her face.
"I have to
leave before I go crazy"
.
She stood, attempting to open her car. But then… she heard a click. Behind her, another car
snapped shut with finality.
She spun around. In the middle of two SUVs, a man stood. His face was shrouded in darkness.
He stood silently, observing.
Her sharp voice cut through the silence.
"Who are you?" She asked. Her heart thundered
against her chest. Her knees weakened.
No response. He advanced his steps, slow and steady. Elara felt like she was in a horror film.
Her heart throbbed with every step he took.
Half of his face caught the glow of the streetlight, revealing a scar above his brow. His eyes
were familiar to her.
Her breath skipped. Her lips trembled.
"No!! It can't be him. He's dead"
, she said, fear gnawing
at her chest.
Memories she concealed flooded back.
The crash. The scream. His tight grip on her hands. The slap on her face. And his voice dripped
with cruelty.
"You can't escape from me, Elara. I'll always find you"
.
"That's not possible. He isn't alive"
. Panic surged.
"I saw him die… unless he didn't"
, her eyes
widened.
She stepped backwards, holding her purse tightly like a weapon.
He cocked his head, movement slow and dreadful.
"Running again, Elara?"
, the voice said, low and haunting.
Her heart raced. That voice rang a bell in her ears.
Her lips trembled.
"Is he the one? Or… someone else? Am I hallucinating?"
She shut her eyes and opened it.
But he wasn't present anymore. He disappeared into the shadows.
The parking lot was empty and quiet. Her thoughts raced. She leaned on her car, breath ragged.
Her phone beeped. A message appeared.
"We'll meet soon. Get ready"
.
Her fingers stiffened. Her lips parted slowly.
"No. It can't happen. Not him. I can't face him"
,
Elara lamented.
But those dark eyes, that scar and that demeaning voice made her blood cold.
Her gaze drifted to her window. A note stuck on it. It read: "The past never dies"
. Her eyes
widened in shock. She hurriedly tore the note with shaky hands.
"Has he returned? Or am l being haunted by someone else?"
The keys slipped from her hands again, falling to the ground like shattered glass. The sound
echoed loudly in the silence.
"Calm down, Elara"
, she muttered, her voice unsteady.
She jammed the key into the lock. The headlights flared on by itself. Its light revealed the
emptiness of the lot.
Elara entered her car and started it. The words still echoed in her head.
"Running again, Elara?
The past never dies"
.
She held the steering wheel tightly until her knuckles whitened. Fear gripped her.
Who was he?
Could it be… a man from her past?
If so, why was he back?