Paradoxical Convergence (Book 1)

Chapter 3:Eyes in the dark

Cecile sprinted down the dark, empty streets of Luna City, his breath ragged and chest tight as panic threatened to seize him. The world around him blurred in the dim glow of distant streetlights, and the only sound was the rapid pounding of his feet against the pavement and the low, guttural laugh of something not quite human behind him.

He didn't dare look back.

His mind raced, trying to make sense of what he'd just seen—the guard, R. Santos, no longer a man, but something monstrous. His limbs had twisted unnaturally, his skin stretched taut over a frame that didn't belong to anything living. And those eyes—glowing faintly like embers in the night, hungry and predatory—had locked onto Cecile as if he were prey.

Cecile's legs burned, his lungs screamed for air, but he couldn't stop. Not now. Not when that thing was still behind him.

Run, run, run! The thought looped in his mind, a desperate mantra as he tore through the narrow alleyways, searching for any place to hide.

The streets were empty, eerily silent aside from his own panicked footsteps and the occasional scuffle of something behind him—something fast, something unnatural, something closing in.

He stumbled into a narrow alley, nearly slipping on the slick cobblestone. The darkness here was thicker, suffocating. His breath came in sharp gasps as he pressed himself against the damp stone wall, hoping, praying, that the creature wouldn't find him. He crouched low, heart hammering in his chest, and tried to calm his breathing. Every inhale was a struggle, every exhale a shaky surrender to fear.

But even as he hid in the shadows, the sickening feeling of being watched remained.

A slow, deliberate scraping sound echoed from the entrance of the alley, followed by the soft shuffle of footsteps—far too light for something so large. Cecile's pulse quickened as he pressed harder against the wall, willing himself to become invisible.

The creature was close now.

It stopped at the mouth of the alley, and for a moment, everything went quiet. The silence stretched on, agonizing, as Cecile held his breath, terrified that even the slightest movement would give him away. Then came the sniffing. Slow, methodical, like a predator hunting by scent.

Cecile's throat tightened. It knows I'm here.

The creature's shadow loomed against the far wall of the alley, its twisted form barely recognizable as human. Its long, thin arms twitched as it crouched, and Cecile could hear its sharp, ragged breathing.

Desperation gnawed at him. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. He had been fast, but the creature had been faster, closing the distance between them with an almost inhuman precision. Cecile could feel his muscles tensing, every fiber of his being screaming for him to run again, but where would he go? His legs were already weak, trembling beneath him from the exertion.

The creature's laugh echoed again, a low, rumbling growl that sent ice through Cecile's veins.

Then it moved. Slowly, cautiously, it stepped deeper into the alley. The soft clicking of its elongated nails against the stone pavement was the only sound in the oppressive silence.

Cecile clenched his fists, his nails biting into the skin of his palms. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, each beat a countdown to the inevitable.

And just as the creature reached him, its sickly form coming into view through the dim light, something inside Cecile snapped.

"You also carry a light..."

The girl's words from earlier rang in Cecile's mind, a distant echo amidst the chaos. And then, something shifted—something deep within him. Cecile's breath hitched as the creature's claws scraped the air just inches from his skin. The alley felt like it was closing in, the world around him darkening, collapsing into a singular point of terror and desperation. His body moved on instinct, but his mind was splintering under the weight of fear, his thoughts unraveling in the face of death.