The Obsession begins

The following morning, I woke with the image of the strange burned into my mind, as vivid as if I’d just seen him. That intense, almost otherworldly look in his eyes kept replaying, refusing to let go. I tried to shake it off, but every time I closed my eyes, he was there—like a phantom in the corners of my thoughts.

Throughout the day, nothing felt real. Conversations blurred, routines felt mechanical. I was on autopilot, sleepwalking through my life, haunted by thoughts of him. His face, his voice, the way he seemed to know me, as if we’d met somewhere in another life—it was intoxicating. And it was terrifying even though I tried not to think about it.

By nightfall, my obsession had deepened, morphing from curiosity into something darker. I started hearing things in the quiet moments—footsteps just behind me, a breath so close it sent shivers down my neck. I’d whip around, pulse pounding, but there was never anyone there. Shadows seemed to stretch and shift in unnatural ways, leaving me to wonder if I was slowly losing my mind.

It wasn’t just my imagination, though. The sense of being watched was almost overwhelming. At night, my apartment felt colder, as if a presence lingered just out of sight, watching me in the dark. More than once, I found myself looking over my shoulder, scanning the shadows in the corner of my room, sure I’d catch a glimpse of him standing there, silent, waiting. My pulse raced, my skin prickling. I couldn’t stand it.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to find him again, to confront him and demand answers. The fear gnawing at me only seemed to fuel my determination. Grabbing my coat, I found myself retracing my steps, heading back to the same place I’d met him, as if some invisible string was pulling me back to him.

The streets felt emptier tonight, the lights dimmer, casting eerie shadows that seemed to follow me as I walked. My breath fogged in the cold air, each step echoing in the silence. Every sound made me jump, every shadow looked like his figure lurking, watching me with those intense, knowing eyes.

Then, just as I was about to give up, he appeared.

He emerged from the darkness, standing a few feet away, his expression as unreadable as ever. My breath caught, and I took a shaky step forward. “Who… who are you?” My voice sounded small, unsteady, but I forced myself to meet his gaze.

He regarded me for a long moment before he answered, his voice low and smooth. “I’m someone who’s known you far longer than you realize, Daniel.”

The way he said my name sent a chill through me, like he’d carved it into me. “Known me? I don’t understand. How do you know me?”

His gaze softened slightly, a flicker of something like regret passing over his features. “You’re not just anyone. You’re… bound to me. In ways you couldn’t possibly understand.” His words were calm, yet there was a darkness underneath, a warning.

“Bound?” I echoed, shaking my head with my brows curved, trying to make sense of it all. “Bound how? What are you talking about? Why do you keep following me?” My voice was sharper than I intended, my fear laced with frustration.

He took a step closer, closing the distance between us. I could feel his cool breath on my skin, and my heartbeat quickened as he raised his hand, almost as if he was going to touch me. “You’re connected to me, Daniel,” he murmured, his voice like a dark melody. “You’ve felt it, haven’t you? That pull?”

My words caught in my throat, and I hated how easily he could see through me. I had felt it. The strange, undeniable attraction that kept drawing me back to him. But I wasn’t ready to admit it—not to him, not even to myself. I could barely manage a whisper. “Why… why me?”

His eyes bore into mine, intense and haunting. “Because you’re part of something far bigger than you can imagine. Something that’s been waiting for you.”

I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry. “What… what do you mean by that?”

For the first time, I saw hesitation in his gaze, a flicker of conflict. “It’s not something I can explain… not here.” His voice dropped to a whisper, his eyes shadowed. “You should leave, Daniel. You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into.”

He began to back away, but desperation clawed at me, and I took a step forward. “Wait!” I called out, my voice more frantic than I intended. “You can’t just tell me all this and then leave! If you’ve been watching me—if I’m so connected to you—then tell me what’s really going on!”

He stopped, looking over his shoulder, his expression unreadable. “You’ll never be safe around me, Daniel,” he said quietly, a warning laced with something that almost felt like sorrow.

Before I could respond, he turned and slipped into a dark alleyway. A strange pull inside me drove me to follow, my feet moving almost on their own. My pulse pounded as I entered the alley, the shadows thick and suffocating.

Then, out of nowhere, his voice echoed softly, chillingly. “Turn back and leave, Daniel. Or you’ll regret it.”

I took another step, ignoring the icy dread spreading through me. I couldn’t leave now, not when I was so close to answers. “I’m not leaving until you tell me the truth.”

Silence. Then, a whisper from the shadows, so close it sent a jolt through me. “Remember… you chose this.”

With those final words, he vanished into thin air, leaving me standing alone, breathless and shaken, the empty alley stretching around me like a black void and the only sound I could hear was a dropping water from a broken pipe.