Bound by Midnight

ht was t

mething unnatural. It wrapped around Leila Hart like invisible hands,

er pace. Her boots echoed against the cracked

the corner had drawn her in like it always did. Time had slipped away betwe

the mind. The buildings cast strange shadows, stretching unnaturally beneath the flickering streetlights

crept down

asn't

in her throat. The sensation was sharp, pri

nning the empty

thi

the dim glow of streetlights cast

. Calm down. You're

d t

whi

through unseen cracks. It was too sof

d. She turned slowl

all

depths swallowing the light. It was the kind of place people

heat crawled

. Righ

t her to walk away.

whisper wasn'

as a

could protest, drawn forward b

en she

ky black-not glowing,

resence too fluid to be human. It shifted

ore from

fore she could turn to run, a blur of movem

mped around

t firm. Careful. As if touchin

w and velvety, laced

n't be out h

hitched. The

nding before her was

her pulse wil

a way that seemed too perfect, too inhuman. His dark hair fell just past

s eyes that st

that held something deep and dangerous. Looking i

are you?"

udying her as if she were the strange

ing a shaky step back. "The hel

bout to step

yway. It was empty. Nothing but shad

en't supp

ht settled i

smooth, but beneath it, there was some

now my name?"

A flicker of something unreadable

ed as if

ched out before

second sh

was

nis

, rustling loose papers, and with it cam

whi

t h

thing

hing w

k, her breath ragge

the keys, hands trembling. The door slammed shut behind her, a

ed, replaying

ossible speed. The way

he had di

ing was

been quiet, but tonig

e darkness had finally

sure it would

idn't co

felt it-the weight of something unseen.

there were

ragmente

. Cold hands trailing over her skin. A voic

, the taste of somethin

n a haze, but the

dow, and forced herself to go th

g felt norm

ter las

after

e been scared.

fear, there was

p

ed to

n the alley-he was

someth

she was about to find out