Chapter 35: A Step into Darkness
---
Exhaustion Weighs Me Down
My body aches.
The fight took more out of me than I realized.
Every step feels heavier than the last, my limbs sluggish, my mind clouded.
I don't even know how long I've been walking.
The streets blur together, the neon lights smearing into indistinct shapes.
My knuckles sting, dried blood cracking against my skin.
My breathing is slow, steady—forced.
I should be thinking.
Should be processing what just happened.
But I don't.
I just keep moving.
One step after another.
---
The City Feels Distant
The distant hum of traffic, the occasional bark of a stray dog—
It all fades into background noise.
My mind is elsewhere.
Trapped in the memory of the fight.
The feeling of flesh giving way under my fists.
The way Jason's face twisted in pain, in fear.
The way his friends looked at me—not with anger.
With horror.
Like I was something they didn't recognize.
Something not human.
And the worst part?
I don't regret it.
I don't feel anything.
Not guilt. Not satisfaction.
Just a hollow, sinking emptiness.
---
The Sudden Impact
A loud pop echoes through the night. Distant. Almost unreal.
Then—
Something slams into my chest.
Hard.
Sudden.
Like being punched, but worse. My breath catches, confusion drowning out everything else.
I don't understand.
Then it happens again.
A sharp, burning pain spreads through me. My body jerks, but I can't react. Can't scream. Can't move.
A third. A fourth. A fifth.
Each shot tears through me, sending waves of agony through my body. But I can't even flinch. My strength is gone. My knees buckle.
I collapse. The pavement is hard, rough, biting against my skin.
I try to breathe. My chest barely moves. Warmth pools beneath me. My fingers twitch, grasping at nothing.
The world spins. My ears ring. The city lights above blur, flickering in and out.
Footsteps. Distant. Fading.
A voice, cold and empty.
"Should've known your place."
The words echo in my mind, but I can't react. Can't even feel the anger, the fear, the despair.
I want to fight back. To cry out. To move.
But I can't.
My vision darkens. My thoughts slip away.
I don't want this.
I don't want to die.
But my body won't listen.
The city lights dim. The sounds fade.
And then—
Nothing.
---
The Return of the Shadow
The world is gone.
No sound. No light. No pain.
Just darkness.
Heavy. Suffocating.
Yet, I am still here.
Drifting. Weightless. Caught between something and nothing.
And in the distance—
It is there.
Watching.
Waiting.
Its form shifts, undefined, yet I know it is real.
A presence beyond words, beyond reason.
Its gaze is locked onto me.
Piercing. Cold. Unforgiving.
Like it has been waiting for this moment.
Like it has been waiting for me.