The worst part wasn't the fear.
It was the comments.
My phone vibrated nonstop in my shaking hand, the screen glowing too bright in the dim parking lot. The red LIVE icon blinked at the top corner, merciless.
I hadn't meant to go live.
But once you train your finger to hit record every time your heart spikes, your body doesn't ask permission anymore.
It performs.
[VIEWERS: 12,413 → 18,902 → 27,560]
The numbers climbed like a pulse monitor.
Vera's smile widened when she saw it.
"Oh," she breathed. "You really are fearless."
Silas leaned closer to the phone, tilting his head so his face was perfectly framed.
"Hello," he said softly. "You're watching Luna Vale."
His voice was gentle. Calm. Almost intimate.
The chat exploded.
[COMMENT SECTION - LIVE]
- "WAIT IS THIS A SKIT??"
- "IS THIS REAL??"
- "OMG WHO ARE THEY"
- "LUNA BLINK TWICE"
- "THIS IS MARKETING RIGHT?"
- "THEY HOT BUT SCARY WTF"
- "WHY SHE LOOK LIKE SHE GONNA CRY"
- "NOT FRAGRANT QUEEN IN DANGER??"
My throat closed.
I tried to speak.
My voice came out wrong.
"This isn't—" I swallowed. "This isn't funny."
Silas chuckled.
"That depends," he said. "On who's watching."
Vera gently reached out and brushed my hair back behind my ear, careful not to touch my skin.
Her nails were clean.
Manicured.
Perfect.
She knew exactly how threatening gentleness could be.
"You smell different now," she murmured. "Sharp. Metallic."
My stomach twisted.
She leaned closer to my phone, smiling at the camera.
"Don't worry," she said sweetly. "We won't hurt her."
The comment section went insane.
- "SAY SIKE RN"
- "CALL THE POLICE"
- "THIS ISNT FUNNY"
- "REPORT REPORT REPORT"
- "BRO THIS IS REAL"
- "LUNA RUN"
Run.
My chest heaved.
I tried to step sideways, creating space.
Silas moved at the same time.
He didn't grab me.
He didn't need to.
He simply positioned himself where escape used to be.
Predators don't chase.
They close options.
"Signal's dead," he said casually, glancing at my phone. "So screaming online won't help."
My pulse spiked.
The biker behind them revved his engine again.
Closer.
Louder.
The sound vibrated through my ribs.
Vera noticed my eyes flick toward him.
"Oh, PJR," she said lightly, like she was introducing a pet. "He watches the roads for us."
The biker lifted two fingers from the handlebar in a lazy salute.
The chat scrolled too fast to read.
But I caught enough.
- "WHO IS PJR"
- "THIS IS LIKE A MOVIE"
- "WHY THEY KNOW HER NAME"
- "SOMEONE TRACE HER IP"
- "THIS IS ILLEGAL"
Illegal.
As if that mattered here.
Silas reached out and gently took my phone from my hand.
I gasped.
My fingers twitched—but I didn't attack.
Because he held it carefully.
Like it was precious.
Like it was me.
He angled the camera back toward my face.
"Look at them," he whispered. "They think they're helping."
My own image stared back at me.
Wide eyes.
Sweat on my temple.
Lips parted like I didn't know how to close them anymore.
Fear didn't make me ugly.
It made me real.
And the viewers loved it.
[VIEWS: 41,209]
Vera's voice dropped.
"Smile," she said. "They like you best when you smile."
My jaw trembled.
I forced my lips upward.
The chat went feral.
- "SHE SMILING WHAT"
- "SHE IN SHOCK"
- "GET HER OUT OF THERE"
- "THIS IS SICK"
Silas hummed softly, pleased.
"See?" he murmured. "You're irresistible."
My vision blurred.
I didn't cry.
I refused.
Crying gave people permission.
Instead, I lifted my chin.
"You think this makes you powerful?" I said hoarsely. "Being watched?"
Silas blinked.
Interested.
Vera tilted her head.
I pushed forward, voice shaking but loud.
"You're just… two nobodies who need an audience."
The biker's engine cut.
Silence slammed down hard.
Silas stared at me.
Then he laughed.
Not loud.
Not angry.
Delighted.
"Oh," he said. "She bites."
Vera smiled like a proud teacher.
"She always does," she said. "That's why they break her last."
My stomach dropped.
Silas leaned closer, his mouth near my ear—but he kept his eyes on the phone.
"For those watching," he said calmly, "this is the part where you think something heroic happens."
The chat slowed.
As if people were holding their breath.
He straightened and spoke clearly into the camera.
"But heroes don't come to places like this."
He tilted the phone.
The lens caught the empty road.
The dead signal icon.
The black trees closing in.
"This is the Blank Zone," Silas continued. "And once you're marked here…"
His thumb tapped the screen.
The LIVE ended.
Silence.
Real silence.
No comments.
No numbers.
No witnesses.
Just the wind.
My breath came out in a broken sound.
"You can't just—" I whispered. "People saw—"
Vera touched my shoulder for the first time.
Her hand was warm.
Human.
Terrifying.
"They'll forget," she said gently. "The internet always does."
Silas pocketed my phone.
Then he looked at me with something close to reverence.
"You're special, Luna," he said. "Most girls disappear quietly."
My heart slammed.
Vera stepped closer, blocking my view of the car.
"But you?" she whispered. "You were chosen."
The biker dismounted.
Boots on gravel.
Slow.
Deliberate.
PJR reached up and removed his helmet.
My breath caught.
Because his face was normal.
Too normal.
The kind you'd trust if you were bleeding on the side of a road.
He smiled at me.
"Hey," he said kindly. "You look lost."
My body screamed.
This was the lie.
The rescuer.
The door that looks open.
I shook my head, backing away.
"No," I gasped. "Don't touch me."
PJR lifted his hands.
"Easy," he said. "I'm here to help."
Silas's voice cut in smoothly.
"She's coming with you."
Vera nodded.
"Just for a while," she said. "We'll see her again."
Again.
The word echoed.
PJR stepped closer.
My back hit the car.
I raised my guard.
Wing Chun stance.
Fast.
Tight.
PJR's eyes flicked down.
Then up.
He smiled wider.
"Oh," he said. "She fights too."
Silas's gaze burned.
"Careful," he warned. "Don't damage her."
Something snapped.
I lunged.
Fast.
Elbow.
Palm.
Knee.
I hit clean.
I hit hard.
PJR grunted and staggered back a step.
Vera gasped.
Silas's eyes lit up.
My chest heaved.
For one second—
just one—
I thought I could run.
Then pain exploded behind my ear.
The world tilted.
My legs gave out.
Strong arms caught me before I hit the ground.
Not PJR's.
Someone else's.
A familiar scent hit me.
Leather.
Smoke.
Something dark and expensive.
My vision swam.
A voice I hadn't heard in months cut through the ringing.
Cold.
Controlled.
Furious.
"Get your hands off her."
My heart stuttered.
I knew that voice.
Even before I saw his face.
Cole.
The name burned behind my eyes.
I forced my head up.
Black car.
Open door.
Men with guns moving fast.
And him.
Standing between me and the monsters.
Older.
Sharper.
Dangerous in a way that rewrote the air.
His eyes locked on mine.
Not soft.
Not apologetic.
Possessive.
"Luna," Cole Ardent said. "You're coming with me."
I tried to pull away.
"You don't own me," I slurred.
His jaw tightened.
"I know," he said. "That's why I'm taking you."
Vera watched him with interest.
"Oh," she murmured. "The cage returns."
Silas smiled slowly.
"This just got better."
Cole wrapped an arm around me and hauled me against his chest.
Unbreakable.
A prison with a heartbeat.
I screamed.
He didn't flinch.
As he dragged me toward the car, he leaned down and whispered in my ear:
"Two days," he said. "That's all you get. Don't stay anywhere longer than that."
The door slammed.
The engine roared.
As the car sped away, my vision blurred—
And in the distance, I saw Vera raise her hand in a gentle wave.
Like she was saying:
See you soon.
END OF CHAPTER 2
CLIFFHANGER: NO ESCAPE