The night was quieter than usual. The kind of silence that doesn't comfort—it listens.
Eli walked down the empty street, his hands buried deep in his pockets, eyes fixed on the flickering streetlight ahead. The air was thick with fog, swallowing every trace of light and sound.
Somewhere in the distance, a faint hum echoed—a low, trembling sound that felt almost human. He paused. For a moment, he thought he saw a figure standing at the end of the road. A shadow against the mist.
But when he blinked, it was gone.
He told himself it was nothing. Just the fog, the light, the tiredness in his eyes. But the uneasy feeling refused to fade. Each step he took echoed louder than it should have, as if the ground itself was waiting for something to happen.
A sudden gust of wind made the streetlight flicker again, and this time, it went out completely.
Darkness swallowed the road.
Eli froze. The hum returned—closer now.
He turned slowly, his breath caught in his throat.
And then…
A faint whisper brushed against his ear.
"Don't look back."
To be continued...