CHAPTER EIGHT
They run until their lungs feel like fire.
Down the street.
Past the junction.
Past the woman frying koose and staring after them like they've lost their minds.
Past everything familiar.
Only when they reach the open space near the abandoned bus stop in Nima do they stop — collapsing against a wall, gasping for breath.
Zara is crying silently.
May is shaking so badly she can barely keep her balance.
The air is hot, humid, full of the morning noise of Accra — but behind the noise is a quiet, chilling certainty:
The creature is loose.
And it followed.
Zara wipes her face with trembling hands. "May… what was that thing? Why did it come to my room?"
May grips the edge of the bench, swallowing hard. Her heart is still beating that dual rhythm — hers and Nathel's. And it's frantic.
"He's trying to get through," she whispers.
Zara frowns. "Who?"
"Nathel."
Zara blinks. "May. Your ex?"
"Not just my ex."
May presses a hand to her chest.
"He's bonded to me. A destiny bond. I didn't tell you everything."
Zara's eyes widen. "Like… magic?"
May shakes her head. "Not magic. Older."
Before Zara can speak, a gust of cold wind sweeps across the bus stop.
Both girls freeze.
Zara whispers, "May… please tell me that's just normal Ghana weather."
May doesn't answer.
Because she feels him.
Not the creature.
Nathel.
It rushes through her like a breath, like someone brushing a hand through her soul.
Her vision goes white for a heartbeat—
—and suddenly she hears his voice clearly, without the mirror, without distortion.
"May… where are you?"
Her breath catches.
He's not whispering.
He's not distant.
He's right beside her — or trying to be.
"Nathel?" she whispers out loud.
Zara jumps. "Who are you talking to?"
May ignores her, closing her eyes.
The bond flares hot, like a pulse pressed against her spine.
Nathel's voice comes again, strained, like he's fighting something.
"It broke free earlier than I expected. You need to get away from the open streets."
"Why?"
May whispers shakily.
Zara grips her arm. "May, who are you talking to?! You're scaring me."
"One second."
May squeezes Zara's hand.
Then she focuses.
"Nathel… where do we go?"
His answer sends a cold wave down her back.
"Somewhere with doors you can lock.
Somewhere without mirrors."
Zara chokes out a panicked laugh. "Every house in Ghana has mirrors!"
Nathel's voice tightens.
"Then somewhere with people. Crowds weaken it."
May opens her eyes. "Nathel says we need to go somewhere crowded. Markets, stations, anywhere—"
A loud crack echoes behind them.
They spin.
At the far end of the street, something steps out from the shadows between two buildings.
Tall.
Elongated.
Its edges blur like smoke, but its eyes—
black, bottomless—
fix on May as if it's known her name since the beginning of time.
Zara's voice is a breathless tremble.
"May… is that the thing from my mirror?"
May can't speak.
The creature moves. Not walking — dragging, like reality bends to let it through.
Nathel's voice strikes sharp and loud inside her head:
"RUN. NOW."
May grabs Zara's wrist. "Move!"
They sprint.
The creature follows — silent but fast, its shadow stretching across the ground like claws reaching.
People on the street turn, confused. A few step aside. Others stare.
But none of them see the creature.
Only May and Zara do.
"May, it's getting closer!" Zara screams.
May sucks in a sharp breath—
and suddenly her legs feel lighter.
Not hers.
Nathel's strength bleeds into her muscles, guiding her steps, pushing her faster than she should be able to run.
Zara stumbles behind her. "How are you moving so—?!"
"No time to explain!"
They reach the main road—
crowded, loud, chaotic.
The creature slows at the edge of the crowd…
then stops completely.
May skids to a halt, nearly collapsing.
Zara grabs her. "Why did it stop?"
Nathel answers for her.
"It can't cross where too many eyes are watching.
It hunts in the forgotten places."
May whispers, panting, "Nathel… how do we stop it?"
A pause.
A heavy one.
Then:
"We don't stop it.
We run.
Until I can come through."
Her heart slams.
"You're coming back?"
Another pause.
"…I'm trying."
Zara stares at May like she's seeing her for the first time.
"May… what the hell is happening to us?"
May turns slowly to look back at the alley.
The creature stands at the edge of the sunlight, staring at her with a hunger that makes her blood freeze.
"It's not 'us,' Zara," she whispers.
"It's after me."