Edge Of Innocence

Chapter 1 (The Uninvited Guest)

As it was getting dark Lucas was alone in his small house, trying to read the book. He was a man of quiet habits,preferring silence over the chaos of noises and crowds. He had a natural talent for reading people's intentions,a skill that had grown sharper over the years as he spent countless hours watching others from a distance. He kept to himself and spoke little, a silent observer who seemed to blend into the background. Those who interacted with him found him polite, perhaps even charming, but always a little distant as if he stood a few steps removed from the world around him.

He had an old house located at the edge of town,near a forest,far enough from the main street that fell silent as night settled. His room held only what he needed- an arm chair near a small bookshelf. A table cluttered with books and papers, and a single lamp casting a faint. The house had a chill to it's an air of emptiness that made the silence feel heavier, especially at night. The surrounding area was quiet and still,and on most nights, Lucas was alone in that stillness. The atmosphere inside was one forgotten comfort, as if the house had not felt warmth or light for a long time. The few personal touches Lucas had added seemed almost accidental. A coffee cup left by the window,a worn blanket draped over the armchair. The lamp on the table flickered slightly,as if struggling to hold onto its dim light.

The clock showed just past ten as Lucas sat alone in his room, his eyes scanning the pages of a book. It was totally silent over there. But then a sudden ring at the doorbell shattered the silence. He wasn't expecting anyone. Lucas sat the book down and moved slowly, glancing through the small peephole in the door. In the dim light, a woman stood there, her figure just visible. She looked unsettled,maybe even desperate. He was confused for a while either to open a door or not. After a brief pause and a few more rings of the doorbell, he opened the door crack, just enough to see her face clearly a mix of tense and pleading in her expression.

"Please...... I don't know where to go", she said, her voice low, barely above a whisper. There was a tremble in her tone that suggested urgency,but no sign of immediate danger. Lucas hesitated for a moment but then motioned her inside. She stepped in glancing over his shoulder,as if someone might be following her. Her gaze finally settled on Lucas, observing him with an intensity that made him slightly uneasy. She introduced herself as Lea. She was beautiful in a way that felt almost unreal,the kind of beauty that made people pause mid-thought. She had dark, flowing hair that cascaded over her shoulder, catching the dim light and casting soft shadows on her face. Her eyes were a deep,intense shade, framed by dark lashes that gaze her almost hypnotic quality. She wore a dark coat that hugged her frame, elegant yet simpler. Her voice was soft but clear, holding a tone that suggested she was used to getting attention without asking for it. Lucas couldn't quite place it,but there was something captivating in the way she looked at him, something almost magnetic.

As they sat facing each other in Luca's dimly lit living room, Lea began speaking in a calm tone,her voice soft yet commanding his full attention. They exchanged pleasantries, Lucas offering her a warm drink, attempting to ease the strangeness of the night. But suddenly the shadow fell over her expression,her smile fading as she shifted in her seat. Her eyes took on a different light and clouded by fear perhaps even desperation. "Lucas", she said,her voice dropping to a whisper, " I don't know how to explain this,but something terrible happened tonight". Her hands trembled slightly, betraying the calm exterior she had shown moments before. Luca's brow furrowed his focus sharpening as he leaned forward. "What happened?" "My husband....... He's out there somewhere in the forest injured ". Lucas:"What "?

Lea took a shaky breath, struggling to continue," It all happened so fast", She murmured. "We were out there, just the two of us, taking a walk through the forest trails......and we saw him". Lucas:"Saw who?"
"I don't know who he was, but he was tall and much taller than anyone I've seen. He wore a wide brimmed hat that cast a shadow over his face,but I could still see.....the scar." She whispered, lifting a hand to trace her cheek as if the image was seared into her memory. "A deep, jagged line across his face. And his eyes.......they were just cold, empty." She swallowed her voice shaking as she continued. "He wore a black coat,one that nearly swept the ground as he walked. We heard him before we saw him,the crunch of leaves and branches breaking under his heavy steps. And then he was just there............. standing in our path." Lucas leaned in, caught by her words, feeling a chill run down his spines as he imagined the figure she described.

"My husband tried to reason with him,but he didn't say a word. He just...... moved toward us." Her voice broke" The next thing I knew, he pulled something out......a knife,long and serrated. It caught the moonlight just enough for me to see its edge. My husband told me to run,but I couldn't........... not at first ". She paused, taking a shaky breath, clearly struggling to go on. "He tried to protect me," she whispered,her voice breaking. "But he.......was overpowered. The man attacked him and I watched him fall. I couldn't do anything,and the next thing i knew, I was running through the trees. I don't even remember how i escaped, but........ somehow I did." She looked up at Lucas,her eyes pleading,her voice barely a whisper. "He's still out there, somewhere,and I don't know if he's alive. I need your help".

The room felt colder, the weight of her story sinking into the silence. Lucas struggled to process everything she'd told him. Luca's eyes narrowed slightly, his mind working quickly as he watched her. Something felt off. When he first opened the door, she hadn't seemed so unsettled. There was a calm in her that didn’t quite match the story she was telling now. Why the sudden change? Why was her story slipping between calm and frantic as if her own emotions couldn’t settle? His doubt began to grow, like an itch at the back of his mind. Was she telling him the truth? He couldn't be sure, not with the way her demeanor kept shifting. His curiosity deepened, though a thin thread of mistrust began to wind through it.

A thick silence hung between them, stretching uncomfortably as Lucas processed everything she’d said. The room felt smaller now, the quiet almost suffocating. Finally, she broke the silence, her voice trembling. “Lucas… I don’t know what else to do. I can’t go back out there alone, not after… after what happened. But if he’s still alive… I have to know.” Her eyes lifted to meet his, wide and pleading, searching his face for any trace of compassion or understanding. “Please,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, “will you help me? Can you… go and look for him?”

Lucas cleared his throat, breaking the uneasy silence. “Listen,” he said, trying to steady his voice, “if this is as serious as it sounds, we should call the police. They’ll know what to do, and they can—”

“No!” Lila’s voice was sharp, almost a whisper yet forceful enough to make him freeze. Her eyes flashed with a fierce, almost panicked intensity. “No police… please, not yet.”

Her response caught him off guard. He watched her closely, noting the way her hands clenched tightly together, her knuckles white. “Lila, if your husband’s really hurt out there, they’re the ones who can actually help. I can’t just—”

“Lucas,” she interrupted, her voice quivering, a mix of fear and urgency. “You don’t understand. If we call them, it’ll take time. They’ll ask questions, protocols… I don’t have time for that. If he’s still alive… if he’s still out there…” Her voice broke, her words hanging in the air like a desperate plea. “I just need someone to go see, to find him before it’s too late.”

He could feel the weight of her gaze, her desperation like a vise tightening around him, making it hard to breathe. Everything about this situation felt off, but the sheer panic in her eyes held him captive, forcing him to listen. “Lucas,” she whispered, leaning forward, “he’s my husband. I have to know if he’s alright. Please… I just need you to check. If he’s…” She choked back her words, her breath shallow. “If he’s gone, then we can call the police. But if there’s a chance, even the slightest, that he’s alive, then every second matters.”

He hesitated, wrestling with himself. Every instinct screamed at him to refuse, to push back, to let someone else handle it. The logical side of him was hesitant, distrustful, reminding him of the gaps in her story, the way her tone had shifted from calm to frantic. He felt himself walking a line between suspicion and sympathy, his mind wrestling with every detail, every look, every inconsistency. Was she lying? Or was she simply a woman who’d been through a nightmare, clinging to him as her last hope? But there was something raw and painfully sincere in her expression that clawed at him, compelling him to act, despite the shadow of doubt.

“Alright,” he said finally, feeling his resolve slip, his words barely a murmur. “I’ll go. I’ll… I’ll check.”
Relief washed over her, her eyes filling with gratitude. “Thank you, Lucas,” she breathed, her voice thick with emotion. “I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you.”

But as he turned away, heading to prepare himself for what lay outside,he couldn't shake the gnawing sense that he was about to step into something far darker than he understood. A web of secrets and that Lea wasn't fully revealing..
.

.(To be continued)..