eed blurred into obsession. All I know is that she arriv

asked

cision of a knife-quiet but sharp. In a building full of noise, she was s

them. I didn't wan

to unra

*

rupted view of the entire department. She didn't know I could see her f

oom longer than usual, fingers trailing across the doorframe as if reading some

s the

mask did to people. Or maybe she did, and that was the point. The an

that mask, anyt

erything I feared

*

ilding, soaked in black, with a mask that looked carved from sha

't answer. Just looked at me with those un

haunted by every qui

*

one b

from the west h

was

ai

h

way, unmoving. Mask on. Lights flickering. The timestamp confirmed

od as if she belon

't the fi

to see her. Today. Now. Face-to-face. Maybe I wouldn't touch her. Maybe

ty fester one more day, I wou

*

e entering my office.

s," she s

off th

pa

d slightly, the on

t a request

touching the edge of the

N

nce. It wasn't resist

t it down

until only inches separated us. "Do y

?" she

But I didn't touch her. I couldn't

tched her wa

hak

rok

lai

e

*

sleep refu

r silence. The mask. The things I wan

ts. She belonged to something deeper-something darker. I could

uilding wanted to c

d to wo

wanted to

inch, until she couldn

e begged

*

in the same hallway as the footage. No

ller. I reached for the secu

the footag

le

h

meone

was hiding something. But it wasn't just her face. It was he

would

it rui

y if it r

toxicating about loving

fatal about ch

*

r again. She walked in like alw

the desk. A print fro

you. Las

aid n

long here," I

. "But you won't

N

y n

moment. "Because I want t

lted downwa

ou're ready

asn

nodded

tep that felt like a collapse.

she wh

if you're not prepared t

en she

ai

ed out by six words and a