The first sign of death is the cold.

Vera knows that. She feels it crawling down her spine as the wind howled through the empty street, as shadows stretched too far, too wrong.

They are here. Watching. Waiting.

Her footsteps echo in the silence, too loud, too frantic. Then, there's a snap, like a spark, and then comes the stillness.

The cold breath on her neck sent chills down her spine, but when she turned, there was nothing there. 

"Ugh. These assholes..." 

Somewhere, someone laughs. A laugh she always hear everytime shit's about to go down. 

Five shadows looms in the distance, their words just barely out of earshot. 

"You know what we want to do," a voice murmurs. She could swear she hear the sardonic in those words. 

  ִֶָ 𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆★⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ

Her breath comes in ragged gasps as she sprints, her heart pounding like a drum in her chest. She couldn’t look back. She couldn’t risk it. She couldn't lose to them that easily after everything she went through to survive them. 

She swerves around into an alley, barely avoiding a pile of discarded crates, her sandals skidding on the wet pavement.

Another sharp turn. 

A dead-end. 

A cold hand brushes her shoulder. Spinning around, but there is no one, except, well... 

The alleyway had shifted. The walls, the shadows, they had closed in around her. The whispers grew louder, more urgent. 

"So eager for me, huh?"

I have to keep going, but where do I go, and how do I even pass them? 

One by one, they circles, forming a tightening ring around her. 

SHIT! Vera, think! Think, Vera. MOVE. 

Focus. She had to focus. Her heartbeat pounded against her ribs, loud enough to deafen her. Inhale. Exhale. The air felt too thick, too heavy, like she was moving through water. 

One of them reaches out, its hand long and twisted, translucent skin stretched tight over bony fingers. Vera flinched, but the figure only brushed against her. 

“You can’t escape now,” it whispers. But it isn't just its voice. It was hers. Distorted, layered, echoing. Like a thousand versions of herself whispering from the void.

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Its body stretches unnaturally, the skin distorts and contorts. The face, once formless, twisted into something grotesque. Eyes that weren't eyes become bloody empty sockets, opening widely. 

Then the mouth. 

It split, revealing broken teeth, some of them  glinting with fresh blood. 

The fingers twitches near her eyes, and as it moved, the blood poured from its mouth, dripping down its chest and onto the wet pavement. 

This isn’t the first time.

For a split second, she isn’t in the alley. She’s somewhere else. Somewhere worse.

A scream. Not hers. A hand, limp in a pool of red.

No. No. Not now.

She blinks, and she’s back. 

Her eyes locked with the creature's. Vera's body froze.  

Oh, I'm so fucked. 

"My last words. You're uglier than a botched surgery."

It lurches forward faster than she could react, its body filling her vision. The mouth open again, ready to swallow her head. Its mouth is only a few centimeters away from her face, the stench of decay and blood filling her lungs. 

Time slows. And something shifts, again. 

She couldn’t see it, couldn’t explain it, but she feels it.

The second the creature’s jaws hit the invisible wall, a ripple shot through the air. A deep, resonant sound—like a bell tolling underwater. The creature screeched, yanking its head back as if it had been electrocuted. Smoke curled from its mouth. 

Vera's hands instinctively reaching out to touch the invisible wall. It is there, cold against her skin. 

What the hell is this? 

The creature lunges again, its clawed hands battering against the barrier, but every hit is deflected.

What if I punch the bastards?

Her breath hitches. If the shield breaks, she dies.No last words. No dramatic escape. Just another forgotten corpse in a dark alley. Is that it? Is this how it ends? 

No. Fuck that.

If she is going down, she is taking at least one of these bastards with her.

In one swift motion, she balls her hand into a tight fist and swings it forward with all the strength she could muster.

The creature’s head snaps back, its mouth opening in a howl of pain. Blood splattered across the air, its disfigured face twisting in disbelief. Like it had expected her to scream, not fight.

"What are you?" it rasps, voice twisting between echoes.

"Annoyed," Vera shot back.

And then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the creature retreated, slinking back into the darkness.

What just happened? 

  ִֶָ 𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆★⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ

His POV:

He watched from the shadows, every one of her movements. It was as if the world had slowed down just for him to watch this moment. 

She didn't know he was there, didn't even seem to feel his gaze on her. Her back was turned, too busy panicking by what she believed to be her impending doom to notice his presence lurking just a few meters beyond her reach.

She is different. He’d seen countless of others crumble in the face of the supernaturals, but not her. Not like this. 

He had watched countless humans break. Fear was predictable. Fear was easy. But she? She gritted her teeth, threw a punch, and smirked at death like it was an old friend. Interesting. 

He watched her react, watching as the creatures closed in on her. 

It's not time yet. 

The shield appeared around her. It didn’t surprise him. No, this was a game, his game. She isn't meant to die tonight. Not yet. Not until... 

"Until what?" He shook his head at the thought. 

The others may have their plans, but his were different. His were slow, careful. He let her fight for now.

Let her think she has a choice.