Page 7

A step behind me.

My breath catches. I stop dead and listen, every muscle in me pulling tight as I stare into the rain-slick darkness, waiting for the sound to come again.

Silence. Nothing except the hiss of water in the gutters and the low electric hum overhead.

You’re imagining things.

I swallow hard and force myself to keep walking, shoulders hunched against the rain, the medical band on my wrist buzzing its first warning into my skin.

Five steps later, another footstep answers mine. Then another, close enough now that I can’t pretend it isn’t there.

Fear claws higher in my chest. I don’t turn around. I just keep walking faster, my shoes skidding on the slick street as I try to act like I haven’t noticed.

The sound follows, matching me so exactly it makes my skin go cold.

They’re already watching you.

The street is empty. No laughter. No voices. Just the lane lights, the wet shine of the road, and footsteps that don’t belong to me.

I whirl around too fast and nearly lose my footing. “Who’s there? Why are you following me?”

Move.

Panic hits hard. I break into a run, my duffel bag slamming against my hip, the strap biting into my shoulder. My lungs burn as I drag in freezing air, forcing myself faster.

The medical band vibrates again. My heart is going too fast. My vision blurs at the edges, and the towers ahead of me jitter, the neon smearing through the mist as everything starts to stutter under the force of adrenaline.

For one sick second, Sero disappears, and the road under my feet turns to cracked pavement. The mist thickens into the industrial smoke of Düren.

And then I see myself, twelve years old and running hard enough to hurt, flashing at the edge of my vision every time I turn a corner. No matter how far I run, he’s still there, looking back over his shoulder with wide eyes as dark figures close in behind him, laughing like this is a game.

Every turn brings him back.

My breath catches, and I stumble, one hand flying to my throat even though I know it won’t help. My chest tightens so fast it feels like something has locked shut inside me, sending a tremor through my hands.

No. No, no, no. Please not here.

I just got here. I haven’t even played a single note on Sero. I haven’t found her.

I take the next turn blind, nearly skidding as my shoes lose grip, the world glitching hard enough to make me stumble.

Static cuts across my vision. The lights split and double as the city blurs, then snaps back into place.

Instinct takes over, breath tearing out of me in short, useless pulls, but the footsteps never stop, still there behind me no matter how fast I run.

No need to look back to know what that means. Every turn becomes one he’s letting me take until the street ends too suddenly.

One hand catches the barrier at the edge of the drop as I stagger to a stop. Water churns far below, lost somewhere beneath the rain and city lights.

I spin around, sucking in a sharp breath. My pulse roars. The city smears and doubles for a second before snapping back into focus. My fingers won’t stop shaking.

Then he steps out of the dark.

For one terrible second, I know exactly who he is. The man from the railing. The one who watched me from above while I stood in Black Chapel pretending I wasn’t in trouble.

And now he’s here. Tall and broad, half in shadow, his coat rain-dark and his expression unnervingly calm.

“Stay back,” I choke out.