Afterlight (Fanfiction) ✓

chapter four

Chloe

I awoke to the sunlight spilling through the blinds, painting streaks of gold across the cramped room. The light felt almost intrusive, too bright, too real, pulling me from restless dreams into a reality I didn't want to face. Wrapped snugly around me was a large Canadian flag blanket, its warmth a stark contrast to the chill lingering in my bones.

I cradled my head in my hands as a wave of pain throbbed behind my temples, the aftermath of days that had ground me down to a shadow of myself. I felt hollow, bruised, like the walking wreckage of a car crash. A bitter laugh slipped through my lips as I thought about how I'd ended up here. If I'd just listened to Brad—followed his orders and stayed out of Stratford—none of this would have happened. But regrets were nothing more than a cruel joke. The past was set, unyielding.

The past two days had unraveled me.

Kidnapped. Threatened. Starved. Held captive like a pawn in someone else's violent game. Venom, that godforsaken gang, wanted to break me—to twist me until I begged for death. And maybe, in the darkest hours, I nearly did.

Death was a shadow that had hovered over me for as long as I could remember. But it had never felt closer than now.

It was surreal to think that all of this chaos had unfolded because of Brad, because of his history with Venom's leader. My involvement was incidental, a cruel byproduct of blood ties. I hadn't chosen this war, but I was caught in its crossfire nonetheless. Venom had tracked me down with precision, sending out alerts to every hotel and motel in Stratford.

Receptionists, oblivious to the danger, thought they were helping concerned citizens find missing family members. And then there was the old man at Swan Motel—the one who called Venom to report my presence. That phone call sealed my fate.

The memory of their suffocating hold on me lingered, as sharp as the heat in the house now. The air conditioning hadn't been turned on, and the stifling warmth wrapped around me like the breath of hell itself. In the sweltering darkness of their captivity, I'd prayed for salvation—a hero, a reprieve. But there was no knight, no prince with a shining sword. Just me. I was the only one who could claw my way out.

And so, I had. I escaped through a tiny window, my adrenaline forcing my legs to run faster than they ever had. But freedom didn't last long. The chase was immediate, relentless, and terrifying. They were on me again, but this time, fate twisted the knife deeper.

I ended up in the hands of Justin—the brother of Venom's leader.

Even now, I could feel the ghost of his grip, the memory of being shoved against the alley's unforgiving walls while his breath brushed my skin. That moment of panic still lived in my chest, ready to claw its way out. Somehow, I had begged my way into his car, convincing him to take me away from the nightmare.

But trading one devil for another wasn't exactly a victory.

Justin had demanded I shed my identity, and now I was Julia Gallo—a name as false as the safety I pretended to feel in his house.

I glanced around the room, hoping to spot him, but he wasn't here. The only sound was the relentless ticking of the clock on the wall. His boots sat by the door, indicating that he wasn't left the house yet.

Where was Justin's brother? The infamous gang leader whose name carried more menace than a loaded gun? And what about their parents? Did they even exist?

I felt like Alice, tumbling through Wonderland—a girl whose curiosity led her down a rabbit hole and into the jaws of chaos. She wandered into a world of peril, tangled in riddles and threats, crossing paths with the Queen of Hearts and nearly losing her life to the sharp blades of her army. The irony wasn't lost on me. Like Alice, I had wandered too far, let curiosity take the reins, and found myself staring down the edge of ruin.