DESCENT INTO DARKNESS
The father's paralysis lasted only a moment, but it was enough.
The collector's henchmen seized him, holding him in place.
The woman in white drifted closer, her eyes fixed on the daughter.
"Run!" the stranger shouted, tackling the henchmen.
Dr. Sophia Patel burst into the room, her eyes scanning the chaos.
"What's happening?" she demanded.
Ethan, the mysterious teenager, slipped in behind her.
The daughter's eyes met Ethan's, and she whispered, "Help."
Ethan's gaze locked onto the woman in white.
A flicker of recognition passed between them.
The woman's smile faltered.
"You," she whispered.
Ethan's eyes flashed with anger.
The collector intervened, his voice dripping with malice.
"Enough. Take the girl."
The henchmen dragged the father away.
The woman in white reached for the daughter.
Ethan lunged, but Sophia restrained him.
"Wait," she whispered. "We need a plan."
The daughter's vision blurred.
Darkness closed in.
SHADOWS WITHIN
Ethan's eyes never left the woman in white.
A whispered name escaped his lips: "Aria."
Aria's gaze faltered, her mask slipping.
For an instant, Ethan saw a glimmer of recognition.
Dr. Sophia Patel's eyes narrowed.
"Ethan, what's going on?" she asked.
Ethan's expression closed off.
"Nothing," he muttered.
Sophia's eyes lingered on Ethan, suspicion growing.
The daughter's visions intensified.
Darkness swirled, revealing snippets of ancient rituals.
A cult, hidden in shadows, awaited the collector.
Their leader, the High Priestess, spoke of an prophecy.
"The child of light shall unlock the gates."
The daughter's eyes snapped open.
"Daddy," she whispered, terror creeping in.
The collector's voice echoed.
"Time to collect the key."
Aria drifted closer, her eyes locked on the daughter.
Ethan stepped forward, his hands glowing with an ethereal light.
"Leave her alone," he warned.
Aria's smile returned.
"You think you can stop us, Ethan?"
Sophia's eyes widened.
"Ethan, what's happening?"
Ethan's gaze never wavered.
"I won't let you take her."
Traitor in the Shadows:
As the standoff intensified, a figure watched from the shadows.
Dr. Henry Lee, Sophia's colleague.
His eyes gleamed with an otherworldly intensity.
"The prophecy unfolds," he whispered.
Henry's phone buzzed.
A text from an unknown number:
"The collector's true purpose is not what it seems."
_To Be Continued..._
YOU ARE READING
Accident
Mystery / Thriller"Out of the fog, a stranger's gaze" "Whispers in the mist, a haunting phase" "Shadows on the road, a fleeting fright" "A smile so creepy, in the dark of night" "In the fog, a moment's pause" "A father's love, a child's cause" "A mysterious smile, a...
