Chapter 4

AUTHOR'S POV

THREE DAYS BEFORE THE WAREHOUSE ATTACK

The masked man sat in the dimly lit room, the only illumination coming from the flickering lightbulb overhead. His gloved fingers traced the edges of the photograph spread on the desk before him. His gaze lingered on the image, a smirk playing beneath the mask.

Zarek.

Unpredictable. Calculating. Dangerous.

For the first time, he had found a chink in Zarek's impenetrable armor.

"How long has he been watching her?" he asked, not bothering to look up at the figure standing stiffly across from him.

"A month," the man replied.

The smirk widened. Zarek, the man who could sense betrayal from afar, the man whose instincts rivaled those of a predator, had been utterly blind to this. For an entire month, Zarek had been following the girl, yet he hadn't noticed the eyes that trailed his every move.

"She's a distraction," the masked man murmured, more to himself than to his companion. His gloved hand tapped the edge of the desk rhythmically as he pieced the puzzle together.

Zarek, had a weakness. This girl, had manage dull Zarek's sharp edges. She had rendered him human.

For years, the masked man had studied him, waiting for a weakness he could use against him. And now, he had it.

He leaned back in his chair and glanced at the man in front of him

"It seems Zarek is hesitant to approach her. Afraid, perhaps." He let the thought hang in the air, his tone laced with mockery.

Then his voice hardened, his smirk turning into a wicked grin beneath the mask.

"Well, let's help him, shall we? If he won't take the step, we'll take it for him. It's time to bring them together."

The man standing before him shifted uneasily but said nothing. He knew better than to question the masked man's plans.

SOFIA'S POV

The day was finally over.

I stretched my arms, glancing at the clock—8 PM. Closing time. Relief flooded through me. It had been a long, exhausting shift, and all I wanted was to get home and take a cold shower.

Bianca grinned as she slung her bag over her shoulder. “You look like you’ve been through hell.”

“That's because I have,” I muttered, rubbing my temples. “I swear, if I ever find a better job, I’m leaving without looking back.”

Bianca laughed. “Yeah, yeah. You’ve been saying that for months.”

I rolled my eyes but didn’t argue. She wasn’t wrong. Berrylink was the biggest department store in the city, and the pay was good. Too good to walk away from. The owner—whoever they were, was a philanthropist, and people practically fought to work here. Our salaries were almost as high as government workers’.

So, whether I like it or not, I was stuck here.

We stepped outside, the night air cool against my skin. The parking lot was nearly empty, just a few night-shift workers making their way in. Bianca and I headed in opposite directions.

“Text me when you get home,” she called over her shoulder.

“I will,” I said, adjusting my bag.

Bianca had her dorm to go back to, her college life still waiting for her. I didn’t have that privilege. College had never been an option for me. Moving from city to city, never staying in one place long enough to build a real future, it made things like school impossible.

I had moved to four places in the space of five years. But for over a year now, we hadn’t moved. No rushed packing, no sudden relocation. The shadow that had haunted me for so long hadn’t come near me or my family.

Maybe… maybe he had finally given up.

That thought was too good to be true.

I reached the dark alley. The last stretch before home. The part of my route I hated.

I stepped into the darkness, gripping my bag tighter.

Like every other night for the past few months, I could feel someone watching me. It scared me but I didn't want to say anything to my mother because I didn't want her to panic. I promised myself that this place was our permanent home, and no matter what happened, I was done running.

Every time we moved I saw how it affected my mother and my brother and I'd always feel guilty. It was me he wanted after all. If he comes back I'd offer myself to him, it was the sacrifice I had to make to keep my family from danger.

I could feel the piercing feeling of being watched, but this time I thought I was being followed too.

I swallowed hard and forced myself to keep moving.

You’re being paranoid Sofia.

Then I heard it.

Footsteps.

A lump formed in my throat. I started walking faster.

The footsteps picked up speed too.

Panic gripped me, and before I could think, I broke into a run.

I didn’t dare look back. My heart pounded as I ran, pushing forward until I reached my street, finally stepping into the open space where a few people still lingered outside their homes.

I stopped to catch my breath, my chest heaving heavily. There wasn't sign of the stalker when I looked back at the alley. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe I was overthinking it.

I stumbled my way to the direction of my house, my breath hitched as I took in the sight before me.

Ashes. Ruins. Nothing but burnt remnants where my home used to be.

"No. No. No.No" I chanted repeatedly, pulling at my hair hard, hoping it'd bring me back to reality.

My legs wobbled, my entire body trembling as I forced myself forward. This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.

I had walked home like any other night, expecting to see the tiny, comforting house I had called home for the longest time. Instead, all that remained was destruction.

My heart pounded violently against my chest.

“Mom! Tyler!” My voice cracked as I screamed their names into the night.

No answer!

The lump in my throat tightened, but I didn’t stop. I ran into the ruins, my feet crunching over shattered glass and broken wood, but I barely felt it. Not even when a sharp nail dug into my skin.

I searched desperately, my eyes darting around the wreckage. My mother’s old armchair was nothing but a charred frame. Tyler’s bicycle was twisted and melted beyond recognition. The kitchen—where she always cooked while humming under her breath—was now nothing but rubble.

Tears blurred my vision, streaming down my face uncontrollably.

Where were they?

Who did this?

A sob ripped through my throat as I sank to my knees, my hands sifting through the ashes, as if I could somehow find a trace of them, something, anything.

Then I felt a strong arm wrapped around my waist and I was lifted effortlessly from the ground, my body suddenly weightless.

The familiar scent hit me before anything else.

I tried to blink away the tears clouding my sight, struggling to make out the figure holding me. My vision was too blurry, but my body and soul felt safe.