EPISODE 3

KEILAH

I stared at the mark on my neck, disbelief gripping me. My reflection wavered in the dim lighting of the bathroom, but the mark was unmistakable. Damien’s mark—had reappeared after all these years, as though it had never faded in the first place. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it would break through my ribcage.

This couldn’t be happening.

My fingers hovered over the mark, not quite daring to touch it, afraid that somehow, it might respond, or worse, grow stronger. Memories of Damien flooded my mind—his piercing eyes, the way his presence had always both frightened and fascinated me. I had thought those days were over. But the reappearance of his mark could only mean one thing.

He was back.

But why? And how?

Panic surged through me as I stumbled back from the mirror, pressing my back against the cold bathroom wall. My breath came in shallow, uneven gasps, and my thoughts spiralled wildly. Was this a warning? A threat? What did Damien want? No—I had left that world behind. I wanted no part of it anymore.

I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing myself to calm down. There had to be a rational explanation for this. Maybe it wasn’t Damien’s doing at all. But even as the thought crossed my mind, I knew I was grasping at straws. This mark wasn’t a coincidence. It never had been.

I needed answers. But from whom? I couldn’t reach out to Ralph. If Damien was back, it meant chaos was brewing, and Ralph’s presence would only pull me deeper into a conflict I desperately wanted to avoid. He was the last person I could afford to see.

But what now?

I opened my eyes and stared back at my reflection, pale and unsettled. The mark seemed to pulse faintly under the dim light, a reminder that my past wasn’t as far away as I had hoped.

The fragile peace I had fought so hard for was on the verge of shattering—and I had no idea how to stop it.

The door creaked open, and my heart seized with terror. I instinctively pressed myself against the cold tiles of the bathroom wall, fully expecting to see Damien’s shadowy figure barging in, his eyes locked on me. But instead, a frail patient stepped in, looking even more ghostly than I did.

Her gaze drifted over me, concern flickering in her tired eyes. "Are you okay?" she asked softly, her voice cracking with weakness.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to nod. "Y-yeah," I muttered, though my voice didn’t sound convincing even to myself.

Without waiting for her response, I bolted from the bathroom, my legs trembling as I made my way back down the hallway toward my hospital bed. I could feel my pulse pounding in my ears, the weight of the mark on my neck throbbing as if it were alive.

But as I neared my bed, my eyes landed on someone unexpectedly.

Dahlia.

I froze in place, my breath catching in my throat. She was standing there, close to my bed. Her gaze fixed on me the moment she noticed my presence and panic surged through me again.

“Keilah,” she called my name softly, her tone laced with concern.

I turned on my heel, instinctively wanting to flee. But my body betrayed me. My foot caught on the edge of the floor, and I tripped, falling hard onto my hands with a gasp. Pain shot through my palms, and embarrassment flooded my chest as I heard gasps and murmurs from the people around. I could feel their eyes on me, watching.

Heat rushed to my face. I wished the ground would swallow me whole.

“Keilah!” Dahlia was already rushing over, crouching down to help me. Her hand reached out toward me, but I quickly pulled away, pushing myself to stand on my own. I didn’t need her help, not now—not when everything was falling apart.

I took a few steps back, putting distance between us. “What are you doing here?” I demanded, my voice sharper than intended. “How did you find me?”

Dahlia stood up slowly, her eyes never leaving mine. She looked worried, her brows furrowing as if she wanted to say a thousand things at once. “We can’t talk here,” she whispered, glancing around as if she feared we were being watched.

I froze for a moment, staring at Dahlia, the weight of her words sinking in. She stood there, waiting for me to respond, but I couldn’t move. My mind was a battlefield, torn between the pull of familiarity and the overwhelming urge to run in the opposite direction.

It’s not like I hated Dahlia. No, she’d never done anything to hurt me directly. But she was part of Ralph’s world—part of everything I was trying to escape. The mere thought of taking a step toward her felt like willingly stepping back into the life I’d fought so hard to leave behind. Ralph, the pack, the power struggles... I couldn’t handle any of it. Not again—not with Damien’s mark reappearing, not with the storm of emotions raging inside me. I had to stay far away. Far away from anything and anyone connected to Ralph.

“No,” I whispered to myself, shaking my head to clear the thoughts.

I looked Dahlia in the eyes and forced the words out. “There’s nothing to talk about.” My voice was cold, distant, though a part of me hated treating her this way. “I’m done. Whatever it is, just leave me out of it.”

I brushed past her without waiting for a response. My hands trembled as I grabbed my bag from the hospital bed, the weight of my decision pressing down on me. I started walking, forcing one foot in front of the other. Each step felt heavier, like I was dragging myself away from something inevitable.

But then, the room spun. The dizziness hit me so fast I barely had time to react. My vision blurred, and I stumbled backward, my legs buckling beneath me.

Before I hit the ground, Dahlia was there. She caught me, her arms firm but gentle, holding me steady before I could collapse. Her concerned eyes searched my face, and she asked softly, “Are you okay, Keilah?”

I closed my eyes for a brief moment, trying to steady myself. I felt a cool breeze, or maybe it was the coldness of reality settling back in. When I opened them again, the dizziness had subsided. I pulled away from Dahlia, avoiding her gaze, trying to regain control of myself.

“Please, Dahlia,” I whispered, my voice softer this time, but filled with desperation. “Next time you see me, just pretend you don’t know me. And... don’t follow me. I’m begging you.”

Her face faltered, but I didn’t wait for her to answer. I couldn’t handle the pity or concern in her eyes. I needed to get away before I broke down completely.

Without another word, I rushed out of the hospital, my heart pounding in my chest. The moment I stepped outside, the heavy cold night air hit me like a wave. I hurried to the line of taxis parked near the hospital entrance and slid into the backseat of the first one I could find.

“Where to?” the driver asked.

I gave him my address, my voice barely above a whisper. As the car pulled away from the hospital, I rested my head against the window, staring out at the blur of buildings passing by.

My mind raced, but one thing was clear—Dahlia, Ralph, Damien... none of them could be part of my life anymore.

As the taxi sped down the road, a sudden, sharp throb pulsed in my neck again. It wasn’t just a dull ache this time—it was as if fire coursed beneath my skin. I hissed in pain, my hand flying up to touch the mark.

“Why the hell are you back?” I muttered through clenched teeth, my voice shaking with anger and frustration. "I don’t want you here, so get back to wherever you’ve been hiding and leave me the hell alone!"

I scratched at the mark, harder and harder, desperate to make it stop. My fingers dug into my skin, feeling the heat of it, and tears blurred my vision as they streamed down my face. The pain wasn’t just physical anymore; it was like every emotion I had buried was clawing its way to the surface.

The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror. “Are you alright, young lady?”

I ignored him, too lost in my spiralling thoughts to respond. My fingers continued to scratch at my neck, as if I could somehow erase the mark, erase the memories, erase him. The tears wouldn’t stop, and neither would the flood of memories crashing through my mind. The Pack. The council. Ralph. The constant fear.

And then, in the midst of all that pain, a small, bright memory broke through. My son. His sweet, innocent smile. I could almost hear his laughter, see his tiny fingers reaching for me.

A faint, broken smile tugged at my lips, but just as quickly as the joy came, it vanished. The memory of his lifeless body in my arms slammed into me like a physical blow, shattering any fragile sense of peace I had found. I gasped, unable to breathe as the grief overwhelmed me, sending me spiralling into a frenzy of pain and despair.

My chest tightened. I couldn’t draw in enough air. It felt like I was suffocating, my lungs unable to catch up with the storm inside my mind. I clawed at my throat, desperate for air, but nothing helped. My vision blurred, and panic took over as I gulped, struggling to breathe.

The driver’s panicked voice pierced the haze. “I’m taking you back to the hospital!”

The car swerved as he turned sharply, but I shook my head, my voice barely a whisper as I forced the words out. “Stop… please… just stop for a moment…”

He hesitated but pulled over to the side of the road. I fumbled with the door handle, my hands trembling, and stumbled out, nearly falling as I flopped onto the ground, gasping for air. My hands braced against the cold pavement, and I gulped in deep breaths, trying to cool down the frantic beating of my heart.

I pressed my forehead to the ground, pressed my palms against the earth, desperate for something solid to ground me, to stop the whirlwind of emotions tearing me apart.

“Are you okay?” the driver called from behind, his voice tinged with concern.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. All I could do was try to calm my racing mind, to hold myself together before I shattered completely.