Broken Bonds

The sun was high, casting a golden hue over the bustling streets of the city. It was one of those deceptively peaceful afternoons where everything seemed to fall in place perfectly — except for Leo's situation.

"Mom, please, I told you I was busy yesterday," Leo sighed into his phone, holding it between his shoulder and ear while dodging a group of tourists gawking at the tall buildings. His sneakers made soft thuds against the sidewalk as he walked, the sun warming his skin. His brow furrowed as his mother's voice rose in volume, cutting through the serene ambiance.

"Busy? Too busy to pick up your phone nineteen times?" His mother's voice crackled through the line, a mixture of irritation and concern. "What if something had happened? I thought you were dead, Leo!"

"I'm not dead, Mom," he said, rubbing his temple with his free hand. "I just had... a lot going on. Work's been crazy." He knew it was a lame excuse, but he couldn't tell her the truth. His life wasn't as simple as he made it out to be.

"I raised you better than this," his mother huffed, clearly not satisfied with his explanation. "One call, Leo! Just one! You can't even spare me that?"

He clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to snap back. He loved his mom, but her constant nagging was suffocating, especially when she didn't know what he was really dealing with.

"Mom, I promise I'll be better," he said, trying to placate her, though his tone carried the exhaustion he couldn't hide. "I'll call you back tonight, okay?"

"You'd better," she warned. "I mean it. Or I'm coming to the city to drag you home myself."

Leo couldn't help but smile a little. His mother had always been protective, even if her ways drove him crazy sometimes. "Okay, Mom. I'll call you. Love you."

"I love you too," she said, softening for just a moment before hanging up.

He exhaled, finally releasing the tension from his shoulders. "Nineteen missed calls," he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. The city was noisy, cars honking, people chatting, but there was something eerily calming about the chaotic hum. He looked around, feeling a strange sense of disconnect despite the familiar streets.

The truth was, Leo hadn't been "busy" with work yesterday. He hadn't been stuck in meetings or running errands. Yesterday had been dark. Darker than he wanted to admit.

His footsteps slowed as he reached the corner of a quieter street, his thoughts pulling him back to yesterday. The memory was vivid, like it had just happened.

**Yesterday, 11:45 PM.**

He was supposed to meet *him*.

Leo's pulse quickened as he recalled the sharp, biting cold of the night. He had stood under a dim streetlight in an unfamiliar part of the city, his phone clutched tightly in his hand, the screen glowing with a message he wished he hadn't opened.

*Come alone. Don't tell anyone.*

Leo had waited, heart hammering, for *him* to show up. And when he did, the air had shifted. There was no going back. Leo hadn't seen him in years, not since they had both left their hometown. And now, *he* was here, standing just a few feet away.

"Leo," the voice had been cold, nothing like the boy he had once known. The boy who had been his best friend. The boy who had vanished without a trace.

Now he was back.

And he was different.

**Present Day**

Leo snapped back to the present, the warmth of the sun doing little to thaw the icy chill that had settled in his chest. His phone buzzed in his pocket, making him jump. He fumbled with it for a moment, half-expecting another call from his mom.

But it wasn't her.

A text appeared on the screen from an unknown number.

*I saw you yesterday.*

Leo's blood ran cold. His hands trembled as he read the message again, the words burning into his mind.

His feet slowed, and he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, feeling suddenly vulnerable, exposed under the glaring sun. He glanced around, scanning the faces of the people walking past him, wondering if one of them was watching him. His pulse pounded in his ears, and he could feel the panic rising in his chest.

*I saw you yesterday.*

The message repeated in his mind, over and over again. Was it *him*? Had he found Leo again? After all these years?

Leo's fingers shook as he typed out a reply, his stomach churning with unease.

*Who is this?*

The response came almost immediately.

*You know who I am.*

Leo's heart dropped. It *was* him. There was no mistaking it. He hadn't just seen *him* yesterday. He had felt *him*—the darkness, the danger that had emanated from his old friend.

Suddenly, Leo felt a heavy weight on his chest, a suffocating sense of dread that gripped his heart and wouldn't let go. He needed to get off the street, away from prying eyes.

He looked around, spotting a narrow alleyway just ahead. Without thinking, he ducked into the alley, leaning against the cool brick wall. His breaths were coming quicker now, his mind racing. How had he found him? Why was he back? And what did he want?

Before Leo could make sense of it, another text appeared on his screen.

*I'm watching you, Leo. Always.*

His breath caught in his throat, his heart hammering in his chest. Leo's hands shook as he pressed the power button on his phone, the screen going dark. He needed to calm down, to think rationally, but his mind was spiraling. He couldn't do this again. He couldn't be pulled back into that darkness.

But it was too late.

Leo felt the air shift behind him. A shadow fell over the alley, and instinctively, he knew.

*He was here.*

Slowly, Leo turned around, his breath hitching in his throat as his eyes met a pair of dark, cold ones staring back at him.

"Hello, Leo," the voice was soft, almost a whisper, but it sent chills down his spine.

It was him.

Leo's legs felt weak, and for a moment, he thought he might collapse. He tried to speak, to say something, but his throat was dry, his voice gone.

The figure stepped closer, his lips curling into a small, twisted smile. "Did you miss me?"

Leo's heart pounded in his chest, his mind screaming at him to run, but his feet were frozen in place.

The figure tilted his head, studying him with those same dark, unreadable eyes. "I missed you, Leo. More than you'll ever know."

Leo's mind raced, his breath coming in shallow gasps. "What do you want?" he finally managed to choke out.

The figure's smile widened, but there was nothing kind about it.

"I want what's mine."

Leo's blood turned to ice.

It wasn't over.

It had never been over.