Chain's

chapter 1

The Night Walker

The moon hung high in the ink-black sky, casting long shadows over the deserted street. Emily quickened her pace, the soft thud of her footsteps echoing in the eerie silence. She clutched her coat tighter around her, trying to ward off the biting cold and the gnawing fear creeping up her spine.

"Hey, pretty lady, wanna have some fun?"

The voice was low, sinister, and too close for comfort. Emily glanced over her shoulder and saw him-a tall man with a menacing grin, his eyes glinting with malice under the dim streetlights.Panic surged through her veins.

She mumbled, "Someone save me, please..."

and started to walk faster, her heart pounding like a drum in her chest. The man's footsteps grew louder, matching her pace, closing the gap between them.Emily's mind raced, searching for an escape. The street seemed endless, the buildings lining it like silent sentinels offering no refuge.

She spotted an alleyway up ahead and made a desperate dash for it, hoping to lose him in the labyrinth of narrow passages.But as she turned the corner, her foot caught on something, and she stumbled, crashing to the ground.

Pain shot through her ankle, but she scrambled to her feet, casting a frantic glance back. The man was gone. The alley was empty.

She didn't dare to question her luck. Limping, she made her way to the nearest well-lit area, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was still watching her, that she was not alone in the darkness.

The next morning, the sun rose to the sound of clicking cameras and murmured conversations. Yellow police tape cordoned off a section of the street, where a lifeless body lay sprawled on the cold pavement.

The same man who had followed Emily the night before was now dead, his face twisted in a grotesque expression of terror. Reporters jostled for a better angle, their cameras flashing incessantly, capturing every grisly detail. Detective Mark Hastings surveyed the scene with a practiced eye, his mind already working through the possibilities. The man had no visible wounds, no signs of a struggle.

It was as if death had simply claimed him out of nowhere.As Hastings crouched beside the body, something caught his eye. A small, tarnished piece of chain lay near the man's hand. He picked it up with a gloved hand, examining it closely.

It looked ancient, the metal worn and etched with strange symbols.

"What do you make of this, sir?"

Officer Sarah Mitchell asked, peering over his shoulder.Hastings frowned, his thoughts racing.

"I'm not sure yet, but this could be a clue. We need to find out where this chain came from and if it has any connection to our victim."

Mitchell nodded, making a note of it.

"Do you think the girl he was following last night has anything to do with this?""It's possible,"

Hastings said, standing up and scanning the crowd for any sign of her.

"We need to find her and ask some questions. She might have seen something, or someone, that could help us solve this."

Later that day, Hastings and Mitchell reviewed the footage from a nearby CCTV camera. The grainy black-and-white images showed the man following Emily down the street, his intentions clear from his predatory demeanor.

They watched as Emily disappeared into the alley, the man close behind her.But the footage offered no clues about his death. One moment he was there, pursuing Emily, and the next he was gone, only to be found dead hours later.

The mystery deepened with each frame, leaving more questions than answers.As the investigation began, a sense of unease settled over the scene. The dead man's lifeless eyes seemed to hold a secret, a dark truth that neither the police nor the reporters could fathom.

And somewhere in the shadows, the ancient chain hinted at a mystery far deeper and more sinister than anyone could imagine.