Chapter 6 TURNING SOON

Lilian’s POV :

By the time the last customer left the stop for today, the clock behind the counter blinked 10:03 p.m. in soft red light.

My feet ached like hell, but the silence that came after the espresso machine finally shut off was pure bliss. I sighed, leaning against the counter, and stared at the window where the night pressed close, heavy and fogged like it wanted in.

“Another day, another caffeine-induced mental breakdown,” I muttered, peeling the apron off and folding it over my arm.

The bell above the door gave a final jingle as the last customer waved and left. I smiled automatically, the kind of tired smile that barely reached my eyes. When the door shut, I turned the sign to Closed, locked it, and slid the key into my pocket.

The air outside was kind of colder than usual, the kind of chill that creeps through your clothes before you even notice you’re shivering.

The street lamps flickered like old candles, Half the shops were already dark, their shutters drawn. The few that weren’t had those buzzing neon lights that painted the street in sickly green. I wrapped my jacket tighter and started walking.

Same route i took everything, same quiet road. Just another night or so I thought.

At first, it was nothing but just the echo of my own footsteps against the pavement. Then, somewhere behind me, I heard a soft, quick, out of rhythm something, I swear I heard another step.

Then it stopped and then started again.

I froze for a second, my hand automatically slipping into my jacket pocket where my phone was. I took a slow breath and glanced over my shoulder. The street stretched empty just the faint line of fog rolling between the buildings, maybe am just being paranoid.

“Relax, Lilian,” I whispered to myself. “It’s probably a cat or your paranoia acting up again.”

But the chill in my spine didn’t listen, I started walking faster.

The shortcut through the alley was up ahead the one with the graffiti walls and the faint smell of damp trash. Normally, I’d jog through it without thinking. Tonight, though, even the shadows felt like they were watching.

I clicked my phone on and dialed Mia, my best friend, my personal chaos twin.

She picked up on the second ring, her voice half-singing through the speaker. “Please tell me you brought leftover muffins to my house.”

“I think someone’s following me,” I said quietly.

Her tone dropped instantly. “What? Where are you?”

“On Willow Street, you know I just left work. It’s probably nothing, but… just stay on call, okay?”

“Yeah, of course. Don’t hang up,” she said, voice tight now. “Stay where there’s light.”

I laughed nervously and looked, “Mia , the light budget on this street expired years ago.”

I quickened my steps, holding my phone tight. The faint echo of footsteps behind me came again, but it was quicker now, lighter. I spun around but I saw nothing.

No one was there, Just that rolling fog and the faint buzz of a dying streetlight.

“Lilian?” Mia’s voice crackled through the phone. “What’s happening?”

“Nothing,” I lied. “I think I’m.....”

A cold hand clamped over my mouth before I could finish.

The phone fell from my hand, screen shattering against the concrete. Maya’s voice was still screaming from the tiny speaker, echoing through the alley “Lilian! Lilian, say something!” but I couldn’t.

The smell hit me first, it was metallic, rotten sweet, like something had died and fermented under the sun. My eyes watered as I struggled, my heart slamming against my ribs.

“Shh,” a voice whispered against my ear. it was deep, from the sound I knew it was a man, the voice was smooth like silk dragging over steel. “Stop fighting princess, It’s pointless.”

His grip tightened and my lungs burned. I clawed at his arm, my nails digging into skin that didn’t feel… right. It was cold way too cold. Like touching marble straight out of a freezer.

“I like the feisty ones,” he murmured. “Always full of fight, it makes the blood taste better.”

The blood drained from my face.

He pulled me back, my heels scraping against the pavement, and before I could scream, I felt something sharp press against my neck. For one suspended second, I thought it was a knife.

Then it sank in, the pain was blinding hot, electric and alive. My whole body jerked as the world spun out of focus.

He was definitely biting me, my breath came out ragged, broken into short gasps that barely escaped the seal of his hand. I tried to move, to twist away, but the strength I’d always had, the stubborn fire that kept me alive all these years — was draining out fast.

It felt like the air was being pulled from my veins.

He made a sound not quite a growl, not quite a sigh something in between hunger and satisfaction. I could feel my pulse slowing, my body going heavy. My knees buckled.

The alley spun into colors I couldn’t name. My fingers twitched, reaching for my phone that was just out of reach, Maya’s voice still screaming faintly, tinny and desperate.

“Help.... ” The word barely made it past my lips. It came out more like a breath than a sound.

The man or whatever he was leaned close to my ear.

“Shh,” he said again, his voice dripping with something inhuman. “Don’t waste your breath. You’re not dying tonight.”

My vision blurred, everything fading into quietness. I could feel the last of my strength ebbing away, the pounding in my head growing slower, weaker, distant.

Then, just as the blackness crept in, he whispered, almost to himself.

“You’ll thank me later.”

And then… nothing.

Just the echo of Mia’s voice, breaking through the shattered phone, calling my name again and again.

Then a peaceful silence!.