Tell No One

Chapter 1

It was in that time between evening and night. The sky was overcast, an oppressive grey that pushed down on the earth like a ceiling.

It was raining. Not heavy, stormy weather, but a gentle patter that left puddles in the wells of the kerb and streaked the store fronts with water. Further up the street, gentle piano music flowed onto the pavement, a soft, warm light spilling into the rain. The streetlamps weren't quite on yet, the day still having hold over the night.

Kiera, standing on the other side of the road to the pleasant little cafe, placidly held her umbrella whilst she waited in the rain. The bus was late, but she didn't mind waiting. She watched as the music was shut off and the lights were put out, the last vicinity of the high street finally put to rest for the night. Now only the pitter of rain permeated the air, hushed taps that quieted the atmosphere.

Kiera sighed. Her breath coiled out in tendrils, the late autumn air chilling her lips. Her hands were starting to numb through her gloves. Although she wouldn't mind being back in her apartment and somewhere warm, the place didn't really feel like home anymore. Ever since her mum had passed, spending her nights at 'home' just didn't appeal to her anymore. Nothing really did. The piano in the living room had remained untouched for months now, and had gathered a fine film of dust. The books along her bookcase were forgotten about. Motivation to do anything just didn't exist anymore. She would find herself  going to bed as early as 7, simply because she didn't want to do anything else. She didn't think she could do anything else.

The bus rolled in, headlights blurred by the rain. The bus driver opened the door, barely glancing at her as he took her money. Kiera took a seat at the back of the bus, resting the damp umbrella against the seat next to her. She stared out the window, but wasn't really looking. Her eye caught sight of a tall, darkly clad man standing against a building on the other side of the road, facing her way. It was too dark to make out his features, and before she could really assess him, the bus pulled away.

Climbing the last few steps, Kiera rummaged around in her bag, looking for her keys. Night had fully come now, and the stairwell was softly illuminated by florescent lights. The window outside showed a state of pitch blackness, an almost malleable nothing that Kiera could almost believe held a consciousness.

Raising her keys to the door, Kiera stopped short of inserting them in. It wasn't very obvious, but looking at it now, Kiera could tell the door wasn't fully shut. Did she forget to lock it? Or... The almost imperceptible gap caused Kiera's breathing to still. Heart pounding, she raised her ear to the door. Faintly, but patent now Kiera was looking out for it, she could hear hushed whispers and rummaging from inside. She was being robbed. Eyes growing wide, Kiera gasped.

Which was the exact opposite of what the more rational part of her mind wanted to do.

Suddenly, she felt the movement from inside still, and the whispers from before became harsher. Kiera turned to flee and started racing down the stairs. She heard the door of her apartment slam open, hitting the wall. Throwing a glance behind her, she barely registered the two men who flew out the apartment after her before she resumed sprinting for her life. She could hear their footsteps echoed as they bounded after her. Bursting through the door of the apartment complex to the outside, Kiera didn't break her run as she tore across the front lawn. The rain had turned the grass to mud, and within a few strides, Kiera was falling, falling falling to meet the ground with a crashing thud. Her scream was cut short by her face hitting the floor. The pain resonated through her chin as she hit a rock, and the rain clouded her already dazed vision. A small voice in the back of her head urged her to run, to get away before the men caught up, but alas, it was already too late. She could feel blood running down her face, a stark contrast in comparison to the freezing rain. Through her muffled hearing, she could make out the wet, sucking footsteps of the two men sounding behind her. One of them kicked her sharply on her side, causing her to cry out and roll onto her back. Within an instant, one of the men had knelt down and grabbed her throat, and squeezed. Kiera began gasping, struggling, clawing at the man's arms whilst he squeezed ever harder. She stared at his face, passive in the rain.

Most of it was obscured by a black balaclava, but his eyes still glinted from within. Kiera strained under his meaty fist but kept ahold of his eyes. They say the eyes were the windows to the soul, but if that was the case, this man had no soul. Behind his eyes were empty rooms, and that scared her more than the prospect of death did. She dragged her eyes over his shoulder, vision blacking out towards the edges. The other man stood awkwardly, wringing his hands as he watched. Clad similarly to his counterpart, and although not actively killing her, he was condemning her as well.

With one final strained yelp, Kiera's vision went black.