Kim lay on the hospital bed without moving.
His eyes were open, but unfocused — like they were looking at something far beyond the room, something no one else could see.
He didn't speak.
He didn't react.
Not even when his mother rushed in.
"Kim!" she cried, grabbing his hand. "What happened? Talk to me!"
His father stood behind her, tense, scanning the room before his eyes landed on Rose.
"What did you do to my son?" he asked sharply.
Rose flinched.
"I—I don't know," she said quickly. "He called me, and wouldn't tell me anything… that's all. He didn't tell me anything else."
Kim's silence made her words feel even weaker.
He didn't confirm her. Didn't deny her. He didn't do anything at all.
Just that blank stare.
The doctors called it shock.
The police called it an incident.
No one could get a straight answer from him.
So they turned to Rose again.
"Was there a fight? An attack? Anyone following him?"
Rose shook her head.
"He didn't say anything. He just… changed after the call."
But even as she spoke, she felt it — something about Kim wasn't just fear.
It was like something had been removed from him.
Or something had been seen.
Eventually, the case was closed.
"No evidence of foul play," they said.
Just another vague incident.
Another file that would gather dust.
Far away from the hospital, life continued like it always did.
Sarah sat quietly while Adrian stood by the door.
"I'll be back," he said gently. "Just getting something for you."
Sarah nodded without looking up. "Okay."
He stepped outside.
The world outside was normal — too normal.
People talking, vendors shouting, life pretending nothing was wrong.
Adrian walked through the market slowly, his hands in his pockets.
He didn't know exactly what he was looking for.
Just something… to bring back.
Something small. Something ordinary.
Then he saw her.
An old woman stood near the edge of the road.
Still.
Watching.
For a moment, Adrian felt something shift in his memory.
Not a clear thought — just a feeling.
Like he had seen her before… somewhere he couldn't place.
The woman looked at him.
Too directly.
Too long.
"Are you alright?" she asked softly.
Adrian blinked. "Yes… I think so. Have we met before?"
She didn't answer.
She simply turned and walked away, disappearing into the crowd as if she had never been there at all.
Adrian stood there for a moment longer.
Then he exhaled and continued walking.
Just a strange encounter. Nothing more.
He bought flowers on the way back.
Simple ones.
He thought Sarah might like them.
That night, sleep came too quickly.
And too heavily.
Adrian stood in a place that wasn't a place.
Darkness stretched in every direction, but it didn't feel empty.
It felt aware.
Behind him, something moved.
Then another movement.
Then more.
He turned.
Sarah stood there.
Then his father.
Then his sisters.
Then Rose.
Then Kim.
Then Sarah's mother.
All of them watching him.
Silent.
Unblinking.
Not speaking.
Only looking.
A voice came from nowhere.
Soft at first.
Then heavier.
"How dare you…"
The air tightened.
"How dare you take her away from me?"
A rhythm began in the distance.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
Like time itself was counting down.
The figures around him began to distort — their edges bending like branches in wind.
Adrian tried to move, but the ground held him still.
Something rose behind him.
Not walking.
Growing.
Branch-like hands wrapped around his shoulders.
Not painful at first.
Just certain.
Then the pressure changed.
A mark burned into his back.
Not cut.
Not carved.
But written.
Adrian jolted awake.
His chest rose sharply as he sat up in bed, breath uneven.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
He wiped his face, exhaling.
"A dream," he muttered. "Just a dream."
But his shirt felt cold against his skin.
He stood up slowly and walked to the bathroom.
The water ran over him.
Warm.
Normal.
Still, something lingered at the edge of his mind — like a sound he couldn't hear properly.
Something didn't feel finished.
He turned slightly toward the mirror.
And froze.
On his back — reflected faintly behind him — was a mark.
A symbol.
Dark.
Unnatural.
Adrian's breath stopped.
"No… no, that's not—"
He turned fully.
The mark was still there.
The same shape from the dream.
But wrong.
Upside down.
His fingers hovered near it, but didn't touch.
His thoughts scattered.
Sarah's symbol.
He recognized it instantly.
His heartbeat rose.
Then—
A voice broke the silence from outside the bathroom door.
Soft.
Familiar.
"Adrian… are you in there?"
Sarah.