Chapter 4: Stalker

The darkness was absolute, a suffocating blanket that pressed down on me, leaving only the faintest echo of my own ragged breaths. It was a void, an abyss, devoid of light and sound, save for the rhythmic pounding of my heart, a frantic drumbeat against the silence.

A flicker of memory, a fleeting image, pierced the darkness – a shadowed figure, cloaked in a deep, inky hood, its face obscured, its eyes gleaming with an unsettling light. The image was accompanied by a searing pain, a sharp crack that resonated in my skull, and then...nothing.

The world dissolved into this dense, suffocating blackness. As I struggled to grasp at the edges of consciousness, a sense of disorientation washed over me.

A low, guttural groan escaped my lips, the sound swallowed by the encompassing darkness. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, my senses began to return.

The taste of dust and decay filled my mouth, a metallic tang that made me gag. A musty, stale smell assaulted my nostrils, a potent mix of rot and neglect. The sound of my own ragged breathing was amplified in the oppressive stillness, each inhale a struggle against the suffocating air. With a surge of adrenaline, I forced myself to sit up, my body protesting with a symphony of pops and cracks.

The world around me was a swirling miasma of shadows, the darkness punctuated by the faintest glimmer of moonlight filtering through a broken window. The air was thick with the scent of dust and decay, the silence punctuated by the occasional drip of water.

I was trapped, alone, in an abandoned building, the echoes of the hooded figure's attack still ringing in my ears. Panic clawed at my throat, but I forced it down, reminding myself that I had to stay calm, to think clearly.

The question was, how had I gotten here? And more importantly, how could I escape?

"Hello? Is someone there? Please! Help!" I screamed my lungs out as the hooded figure laughs. 

A deep voice whisper in my ears. "Dont even try to escape. No one will hear you here." he says. Then everyone disappeared. 

Panic clawed at my throat, constricting my breath as the hooded figure slammed the heavy metal door shut, the echoing clang reverberating through the cavernous, dust-filled space.

My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drum against the chilling silence that followed. The air hung thick with the smell of decay and forgotten things, a suffocating blanket that amplified the terror gripping me.

I stumbled back, my eyes frantically searching for any escape, but the walls seemed to close in, a concrete tomb in this abandoned building. The figure's silhouette loomed against the faint light filtering through a shattered window, their face obscured by the shadow of the hood.

My voice, raw with terror, tore through the silence, a desperate plea for help. "Someone! Please!" I screamed, my voice echoing off the grimy walls, swallowed by the vast emptiness. But there was no answer, only the chilling silence that seemed to mock my fear.

I lunged toward the window, the glass shards digging into my palm, but it was barred, the metal grating cold against my skin. Trapped. Alone. My screams grew ragged, desperation fueling the raw agony in my throat. It was a desperate cry for help, a fragile hope against the encroaching darkness.

The hooded figure remained still, a silent predator in the shadows, and in that moment, the weight of my own helplessness crushed me, leaving me gasping for air, trapped in the silent tomb of fear.

"Please... Someone, help me!" I gave my last voice that scream and my vison became blurry.... 

The world dissolved into a suffocating blackness, the last vestiges of consciousness fading like a dying ember. I was adrift in an abyss, my senses numb, my body heavy.

A faint echo of a metallic clang reached my ears, followed by a muffled thud. Then, a blurry vision flickered into existence, a man silhouetted against the encroaching darkness. His form was indistinct, a hazy outline against the oppressive blackness. He was wrestling with something, a hulking, hooded figure that seemed to writhe and struggle.

Then, the door, thick and metallic, split open with a roar, its hinges screaming in protest. The hooded figure was thrown back, its dark form a fleeting shadow against the newly-revealed sliver of light.

The man, a blur of movement, reached down, his hands strong and sure, and scooped me into his arms. He lifted me, my body a dead weight, and then everything went silent again, the world dissolving back into the suffocating embrace of darkness.

I woke up, my vision was still blurry, and I was in the hospital with Kio, Luck and a doctor to their side. 

Then the doctor told them the most good and bad news I got. 

Oh my...