Twisted Veil of Devotion

Part 2

In whispers low where secrets creep,

The shadows gather, silent, deep.

They dance on walls, they twist and sway,

A haunting ballet, a price to pay.

Stella POV:

The morning air was crisp, and I could hear the faint hum of the city waking up as I made my way to work. The streets were crowded with people rushing to their jobs, the buzz of their conversations mixing with the distant sounds of traffic. It was just another ordinary morning, or at least it should've been.

But as usual, that feeling was there. The weight of being watched. The sense that invisible eyes were tracking my every step.

I pulled my coat tighter around me, trying to shield myself from the chill in the air, but the sensation crept under my skin like a cold breath, impossible to escape. I kept my head down, walking faster, hoping that if I just kept moving, it would fade. But it never did.

Every day, I wondered if it was just my mind playing tricks on me. Stress, paranoia, maybe even fear from the night I had endured. But no matter how much I tried to convince myself it was all in my head, I couldn't ignore the constant prickle on the back of my neck, the creeping unease that followed me wherever I went.

I had tried to push it away, tried to tell myself that I just needed a break. A chance to breathe without the crushing weight of all these fears. But every corner I turned, every stranger I passed, only seemed to make the feeling more pronounced. Like someone was always right behind me, watching, waiting.

I stopped at the corner, waiting for the light to change. The city was alive, people moving past me in their daily routines, lost in their own worlds. Yet I couldn't shake the sense that I didn't belong here, that I was an outsider in my own life. The distance between me and everyone around me felt as vast as the distance between this city and my hometown.

I needed a break from all of this. The constant worry. The fear. The tension that tightened my chest every time I stepped outside. I wanted a day where I didn't feel like a target. Where I wasn't constantly looking over my shoulder, waiting for something, or someone, to make themselves known.

The light turned green, and I stepped forward, trying to push the thoughts aside. Maybe it was time to talk to someone about all this. Maybe it was time to admit that I wasn't imagining things, that I couldn't do it all on my own. But no matter how much I wanted to reach out, I couldn't shake the feeling that trusting anyone would make it worse.

As I walked down the block toward my office, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out, half expecting a message from my mom or one of my friends checking in. But the number was unfamiliar. My heart skipped a beat as I stared at the screen.

"Are you ready for today?"

The message was simple, the words chilling in their simplicity. I didn't recognize the number, but I didn't need to. The question itself felt wrong.

I glanced over my shoulder instinctively.

Nothing.

No one.

I swallowed hard, trying to steady my breathing. I thought I was beyond this, beyond the feeling that something, or someone, was always lurking in the shadows. But with every step I took toward the office, the walls of my world seemed to close in. It was like I was being pulled deeper into something dark, and I didn't know how to stop it.

I hit the reply button, my fingers trembling slightly.

"Who is this?"

I stared at the message for a moment before hitting send, my breath catching in my throat as I awaited a response. I should've ignored it. I should've put the phone away and continued walking. But I couldn't. Not now. Not when I was already so far down this twisted path.