Echoes Of The Sea

Prologue

Grey Residences, 2006

In a cold, dark room, inside a cramped up closet, a young girl shivers with fear. Her labored breaths and muffled sob barely contained from the outside. Sticky sweat clings to her forehead and clammy fingers hug her own knees. Her little fingers fidget with a queen chess piece, seeking a false sense of comfort that didn't last long. Through the small gaps in the closet door, she stole a look outside she shouldn't have. 

On the floor, a haunting shade of red glistens under the moonlight, creating an eerie, and chilling spectacle. Like a morbid work of art, splatters of blood paint the tiles as if they were their canvas. Yet, amidst this gruesome display, there is an absence—not a single body was in sight. The heavy air is laced with tension, suffocating and thick, while the pungent smell of death swirls with the winds coming through the open window.

Click

The door to the room creaked open, a scream in the midst of the silence. The young girl caught her breath as the sound of heavy steps echoed inside the room. Each step drew the figure closer and closer, every second feeling like an eternity.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Her heart raced in time with the man's deliberate approach, adrenaline surging through her veins as she anticipated his every move.

"Stop playing hide and seek, princess. The game is long over." A deep voice lulls her out of hiding. The soothing tone almost tricked her into submission, but she was too intelligent and brave for her own good. She steeled her resolve into hiding, but as the seconds tick away, the sharp fangs of fear gnaw at her already wavering courage. The man was a predator, those kinds who thrived on the fear of their prey and she was the perfect prey for him. 

The soles of shoes draw nearer to the closet, and the young girl can now see the looming figure before her eyes through the gaps in the door.  Eyes wide with anxiety, she waited and waited for the door to open. 

She can hear her own heart as if it were in her ear, loud and fast and she hates it. Her grip tightened around the chess piece, fingers trembling with anxiety. She knew the danger in front of her, the horrors she can experience once the man opened the door. But she also knew she can't hide any longer and the closet won't protect her forever. The realization hit her hard, her mind wrapping around the idea that she's a prey waiting to be devoured... 

The door handle was turned completely, the only thing separating the prey from the predator was gone in an instant. A tall shadow was cast upon her, as the pungent smell completely overtake her sense of smell. She looked up to meet the eyes of the man and she was welcomed with a penetrating stare glinting with malice and promised nightmare. As if death himself was before her, their gazes locked for a few seconds, sending shivers down her spine. 

"I found you," he smiled, taking a step closer, his predatory gaze fixated on her. "No more games, little princess."