More Saiyaan

The Nightmare Returns

AT BUS STOP

The quiet night at the bus stop turned ominous as Y/N clutched her phone tightly. 

The dim flicker of the streetlight above her barely illuminated the deserted area, and the occasional rustling of leaves sent chills down her spine. 

She held the phone to her ear as Aadi's voice echoed faintly.

"Y/N? Are you there? Say something!"

Before she could respond, the world around her plunged into complete darkness. 

The light above her flickered once more and went out with a faint buzz, leaving her enveloped in an eerie silence. 

Her breath hitched as her surroundings vanished into an impenetrable black void.

"Hello?" she whispered, her voice barely audible, trembling.

Aadi's panicked voice broke through the phone.

  "Y/N? What's happening? Answer me!"

But she couldn't hear him anymore. 

The sound of her heartbeat thundered in her ears, drowning everything else.

And then she heard it—a soft shuffle of footsteps behind her.

Her blood ran cold.

The sound was faint but deliberate, each step measured, growing closer. 

She froze, her instincts screaming at her to move, but her body refused to obey.

 The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and an icy dread spread through her veins.

The footsteps stopped, and a terrifying silence followed. 

The kind of silence she had feared for years.

"Missed me?"

The voice sent her stomach lurching. 

Deep, mocking, and laced with a cold amusement that felt like shards of glass cutting through her.

Her worst nightmare had a voice.

A sinister chuckle echoed, filling the empty air around her.

Her breath came in shallow gasps. 

Her legs trembled beneath her, threatening to give way. 

He was standing right there, close enough for her to feel his presence—the cold, suffocating aura she had prayed she'd never feel again.

"So," 

he drawled, his voice smooth and venomous.

 "You're back. Brave, aren't we? But tell me..."

He leaned closer, his breath chilling the side of her face.

"Did you really think you could escape the game?"

His laugh broke the silence, a sound so haunting it wrapped around her like chains, binding her in terror.

"See you soon," he said, his voice a cruel promise.

She didn't move. She couldn't.

 The sound of his footsteps receding was the only indication he had left.

 But she didn't dare turn, not until the lights flickered back on, flooding the bus stop with a pale glow.

She whipped her head around, scanning the area, but he was gone. 

The street was empty again, save for her pounding heart and trembling hands.

"Y/N!"

Aadi's voice blared through the phone, jolting her back to reality.

 Her hands fumbled to bring it back to her ear.

"Aadi..."

 Her voice came out shaky, barely a whisper.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" 

he demanded.

She swallowed hard, trying to steady herself.

 "Y-yeah, I'm fine. The light went out, and I... I got scared, that's all."

Her lie was weak, but she couldn't bring herself to explain.

 How could she? How could she put into words the terror she had just felt, the return of a shadow she thought she had escaped?

"Y/N, you sound terrified. What happened?"

She hesitated, gripping the phone tightly, her knuckles white.

 "Nothing. I'll... I'll tell you tomorrow. Let's meet, okay?"

"Okay, but call me as soon as you're home."

She nodded, even though he couldn't see her.

 "I will."

The call ended, leaving her alone once more.

 She forced herself to her feet, her legs trembling as she took unsteady steps.

Her mind replayed his words, his laugh, the suffocating presence that had haunted her once and returned like a ghost in the night.

 She wrapped her arms around herself, her breaths coming in short gasps.

You're stronger than this, she told herself, trying to shake off the terror gripping her heart.

But as she made her way home, the lingering fear remained.

This wasn't over. It never had been. And she knew deep down that it never would be.

Y/N stumbled into her apartment, her fingers trembling as she turned the lock.

 The faint click of the bolt felt like a hollow victory against the weight pressing on her chest. 

She leaned against the door, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

The darkness of her living room wrapped around her, amplifying the storm in her mind.

Her fingers brushed over it, cold metal against her warm skin, a ghost of promises she once believed in but had tried to forget.

"You're back... Let's start the game."

His voice, laced with malice and dripping with control, echoed in her ears.

 Her legs buckled, and she slid to the floor, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. 

She had thought she was safe. 

She had believed, foolishly, that she could outrun the shadows of her past. 

But tonight, they had caught up with her.

Her gaze fell on the nupital chain, glinting faintly in the dim light filtering through the curtains. 

It wasn't just a reminder of her past—it was a symbol of everything she had lost. 

Herself. Her Mother. Her family. Him.

Tears welled in her eyes, but she blinked them away. 

You can't fall apart now, she told herself. 

Not when the stakes are this high.

But even as she thought that, the fear lingered.

 The haunting sensation of his presence, the sound of his footsteps fading into the night, left a mark deeper than she cared to admit.