Lena

Chapter 2: In the Shadows of the Past

The sound of Lena's heels clacking on the wet cobblestones echoed down the deserted street, the only noise aside from the incessant rain beating down on the city. She clutched the folder Marc had entrusted to her, her heart weighed down by unanswered questions. Every step seemed to bring her closer to a truth she wasn't sure she wanted to uncover. The smell of damp asphalt mixed with the anxiety rising within her.

She stopped under a flickering streetlight, trying to catch her breath and calm the whirlwind of thoughts in her mind. The information in the folder was overwhelming. Names, dates, places. High-ranking people, ones she never imagined being involved in such a vast network of corruption. Yet part of her couldn't help but doubt: Had Marc told her everything? How long had he known about all of this? And most of all, why choose her to bear this burden?

Her phone vibrated in her coat pocket, making her jump. She cast a nervous glance around before answering.
"Lena? It's me."
It was Samuel, her longtime colleague and friend. His voice was slightly broken by interference, but his concern was evident.
"Where are you? I've been waiting for you at the office for hours. You were supposed to send me the latest articles for the review."
"I... I'm on my way. I got delayed," she replied, hesitating to reveal the truth about what she had just discovered.
"Delayed? You've been off the grid since this morning. And I don't like what I'm hearing."
Samuel had always had an uncanny instinct, able to sense danger before it even knocked on the door. Lena couldn't lie to him forever, but she wasn't ready to reveal everything yet. Not here, not in these circumstances.
"I'll explain when I get back," she finally said. "Trust me."
A tense silence settled, then Samuel reluctantly agreed. "Alright, but be careful. I don't know what's going on, but you sound really tense."

She hung up without answering. In truth, she felt like she was being hunted. Since she left Marc's office, the feeling of not being alone, of not being in full control, had intensified. Her senses were on high alert, as if every shadow concealed a threat. She tightened her grip on the folder, determined not to falter. If what she was holding was as explosive as it seemed, she couldn't afford any weakness.

Suddenly, a thud echoed behind her, coming from a nearby alley. Lena froze. Was it just the wind, or was someone there? She hesitated, her breath quickening. Part of her knew she should keep moving, not pay attention to what might be just an illusion. But something held her in place.

She slowly turned, her eyes trying to pierce the darkness of the alley. That's when she saw it—a shadowy figure slipping into the shadows, as if it had been there, watching her. A chill ran down her spine. The thought of being followed for hours paralyzed her.

Making a quick decision, she began to run, her shoes slipping at times on the wet ground. Each step felt heavier than the last, but she had no choice. If someone was trailing her, she had to outrun them or at least find refuge before it was too late.

She suddenly veered into a small street she knew well, a shortcut she had taken many times to avoid the main roads. Her breath was short when she spotted the familiar sign of a café, abandoned for months. She dashed inside, heart pounding, and carefully closed the door.

The silence in the building was deafening after the city's noise, and the darkness almost complete. Lena leaned against the door, trying to steady her erratic breathing. She quickly glanced around to make sure she was alone. There was no one, no sound, no movement. But the oppressive feeling didn't leave her.

She moved away from the door and began rummaging through her bag, looking for her phone. Her heart raced when she realized she couldn't find it. Had she dropped it while running? Or worse, had someone already stolen it?

She clenched her fists, cursing her carelessness. She couldn't call for help, and now she was trapped, alone in this deserted place. But she wasn't the type to give up easily. She had to think quickly.

As she slowly moved through the café's main room, a shadow shifted at the far end of the room. Lena froze, her muscles tense, ready to react. Was it just a hallucination from fatigue, or was someone really there with her?

The answer came swiftly. Footsteps echoed in the silence, and then a figure emerged from the darkness. It was Marc. His unexpected presence hit her like a punch, and before she could utter a word, he spoke in a calm but commanding tone.
"I told you not to act alone, Lena."
His face was unreadable, but in his eyes, there was a strange glint, something she had never noticed before. Was it fear? Anger? Or perhaps a mix of both.
"Why are you here?" she asked, her voice trembling despite herself.
"To protect you," he replied, slowly stepping toward her. "They're already onto you, Lena. And you won't be able to stop them alone."

She instinctively stepped back, uncertainty rising within her. The trust she had in Marc was crumbling, replaced by growing doubt. Something in his behavior, in the way he looked at her, made her uncomfortable.
"What aren't you telling me, Marc?" she murmured, staring him straight in the eyes.

Marc stopped a few steps away from her, staring back without immediately answering. The silence between them became heavy, almost suffocating.
"You've uncovered part of the truth, but there are things you're not ready to know yet. And if you keep going down this path, they'll silence you for good."
"They?" Lena repeated, her thoughts racing. "Who are they, Marc? Tell me the truth."

But instead of answering, Marc stepped back, fading into the darkness once more. Lena heard the café door close softly behind him, leaving her alone with a new wave of questions and doubts. What was clear now was that she could no longer trust anyone. Not even Marc.

She looked down at the folder still in her hands. Somewhere in these pages lay the key to understanding the scale of what was happening. But for the first time, Lena wondered if she really wanted to know.