Chapter 50

OMARI

The red light didn’t move.

It just stayed there, glowing faintly through the dark. The longer I looked, the harder it was to breathe.

Leighton moved a step in front of me. “Stay behind me,” he said again, his voice rough.

I couldn’t speak. I only nodded and kept staring at the fence.

There were two of them. Both tall, both still, both watching us.

Their eyes were the same glowing red I’d seen in the woods that night,  the same kind that haunted my sleep.

The blue light on their wrists blinked again. Soft, steady, cold.

“Leighton,” I whispered. “What are they?”

He shook his head slightly. “Not rogues. But not human either.”

The words made my stomach tighten. “Then what do they want?”

He didn’t answer.

A soft hum filled the air, and one of them took a small step forward. The fence sparked faintly as if reacting to it.

Leighton’s hand moved behind him, brushing against mine.

His fingers curled around mine, warm and firm.

It was supposed to make me feel safe. But all it did was make my heart pound even faster.

“Go inside,” he said quietly. “Now.”

“I can’t just leave you”

“Omari.” His tone deepened. “Please.”

Something about the way he said it made me freeze. There was worry in his voice, but something else too,  something heavier.

I didn’t want to go. Not yet.

The strangers didn’t move closer. They only watched.

Then one of them spoke.

“We don’t mean harm,” a woman’s voice said, calm and strange. “We only want to talk.”

Leighton’s grip tightened. “Then talk from there.”

The woman tilted her head. “You wouldn’t understand. But she might.”

My breath caught. “Me?”

“Yes,” she said softly. “You’re marked.”

Leighton growled low. “Say another word, and I’ll-”

The light on her wrist flashed bright blue, and the sound that came from it was sharp and cold.

Leighton pushed me back fast. “Inside. Now!”

I stumbled a few steps, but stopped when I saw what was happening.

The air between them rippled.

The fence that had always kept us safe began to spark like it was melting.

“Leighton!” I cried.

He turned his head halfway, his eyes glowing gold. “Run, Omari!”

I ran.

I didn’t think. I just turned and ran.

The sound of crashing metal filled the air behind me. Then a heavy thud. Then silence.

When I looked back, the yard was empty.

No strangers. No Leighton.

Just a faint blue light still flickering in the fog.

I took a shaky step forward. “Leighton?”

No answer.

The house door burst open suddenly, and Ashton came running out, shirt half-buttoned, his eyes flashing with gold too. “Omari!”

He reached me fast, his hands gripping my arms. “What happened? Where’s Leighton?”

My voice came out small. “He told me to run.”

Ashton’s jaw tensed. “Run from what?”

I looked toward the fence again. “They were right there. Two of them. With glowing red eyes. They said they wanted to talk.”

Ashton’s face went pale. “Did they touch you?”

“No.”

“Did they cross the fence?”

“I don’t know.” My voice shook. “The light. it-it changed. Then Leighton pushed me away.”

He cursed under his breath, pulling me closer. “Come on. You shouldn’t be out here.”

Inside, the house felt colder. The guards were already rushing down the stairs, shouting orders.

My mom’s voice called from the hall, sharp with fear. “Omari!”

She ran to me, grabbing my face in her hands. “Are you hurt? Did they touch you?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m fine.”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Don’t ever go near that fence again. Do you hear me?”

I nodded, swallowing hard.

Ashton was pacing now, running a hand through his hair. “We need to find Leighton.”

“He’ll be fine,” Mom said, though her voice trembled. “He always is.”

I wanted to believe her. I really did. But something inside me whispered that this time was different.

This time, whatever had come for us, it wasn’t leaving.

I sat down on the couch, shaking.

Ashton came to stand beside me. His voice softened. “You shouldn’t blame yourself.”

“I’m not,” I said quietly. “I’m just scared.”

He hesitated, then sat beside me.

For a while, neither of us said anything. His hand brushed against mine on the cushion, slow, unsure. I didn’t move away.

The warmth of his skin spread through me, steadying me a little.

He looked at me, really looked at me, eyes softer than I’d ever seen them.

“We’ll find him,” he said. “I promise.”

His voice was calm, but the way he was looking at me wasn’t. There was something else there.  Something that made my heart raced again.

Before I could answer, a loud knock shook the front door.

Everyone turned at once.

Ashton stood, moving in front of me. “Stay here.”

He motioned to the guards, and they moved toward the door slowly.

Mom clutched my hand tight.

The knock came again, harder this time.

A deep voice spoke from the other side.  low and steady.

“Let me in. It’s Leighton.”

Relief shot through me so fast my knees went weak.

But before the guards could open the door, something hit it hard from outside,  not a knock this time, but a full hit that made the wood crack.

Ashton grabbed my arm, pulling me back.

The air shifted again, cold and wrong.

And then, through the splintered space of the door, a faint red glow leaked through the crack.

It wasn’t Leighton.

It was them.

The red glow grew brighter.

It moved across the door like a slow pulse. The guards stepped back, guns raised, eyes wide.

Mom gripped my hand so hard it hurt. “Don’t move,” she whispered.

Ashton stood in front of us, his body tense. “Stay behind me.”

His voice was low but strong.

The glow turned into two small red dots. Eyes.

They were right outside.

Then, just as suddenly, the light faded.

Everything went quiet again. No footsteps. No sound. Just the wind.

One of the guards stepped forward slowly. “Should I open it?”

“No,” Ashton said. “Not yet.”

He walked closer to the door, his shoulders stiff. He pressed his ear against the wood. Nothing.

Then he looked back at us. “It’s gone.”

Mom didn’t let go of me. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “For now.”

My heart was still racing. I could hear it in my ears.

Ashton lowered his gun a little, breathing hard.

Then the sound came again.

This time, from the window.

A sharp tap.

Then another.

Like fingernails against glass.

We all turned.

The window beside the stairs was fogged up from the inside. But there were marks on it, small circles, drawn by something outside.

One.

Then two.

Then three.

I felt my stomach twist.

“Ashton…” I whispered.

He followed my eyes.

He didn’t speak. He just moved quickly, stepping toward the window.

The closer he got, the faster the tapping became. Then it stopped again.

He pulled the curtain aside.

Nothing.

Just the fog, thick and still.

He stayed there for a few seconds before turning back. “They’re playing with us.”

Mom pulled me close again. “Let’s go upstairs.”

But Ashton shook his head. “If they wanted to come in, they would’ve done it already. They’re waiting for something.”

The silence after that felt too loud.

Every creak, every breath sounded sharper than before.

Then the lights flickered. Once.

Twice.

And went out.

Darkness filled the room.

I gasped and reached for Ashton. He caught my wrist fast. “It’s okay. I’m here.”

His hand was warm. Steady.

I could barely see his face, but his breath brushed my cheek. We were that close.

“Don’t be scared,” he said softly. “You’re safe.”

Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten again.

Even in the dark, I could feel his eyes on me. It wasn’t just fear in that look. It was something deeper. Something I didn’t want to name.

A guard shouted from the hall. “Backup lights are out too!”

“Get the generators on!” Ashton ordered.

He turned back to me. “Stay here. Don’t move, no matter what happens.”

I grabbed his arm before he could leave. “Be careful.”

His eyes softened. “Always.”

Then he ran off into the dark.

Mom stayed beside me, her hand still trembling.

For a few minutes, all we could hear were hurried footsteps and the sound of doors opening and closing.

Then, a crash.

Something heavy hit the ground outside.

I moved toward the window before Mom could stop me.

Through the fog, I saw something glowing again  but not red this time. Gold.

“Ashton?” I whispered.

He was outside, near the fence. His eyes glowed bright gold now. I could see him through the dark , moving fast. He wasn’t alone.

Another figure was beside him. Taller. Stronger.

Leighton.

He was back.

I ran to the door before anyone could stop me. “He’s there! Leighton’s there!”

Mom tried to hold me back, but I slipped away. I opened the door and ran out into the yard.

The air was cold and wet again. The fog clung to my skin.

“Ashton! Leighton!” I shouted.

They both turned when they heard me. Leighton’s face was pale, his eyes wild.

“Go back inside!” he shouted.

But I didn’t.

Something behind them moved in the fog  three shapes this time, walking slowly, glowing faintly red.

“Ashton, behind you!” I screamed.

He turned, fast as lightning.

The air lit up with gold as he swung his arm. A burst of power flashed through the mist, throwing one of the shapes back.

Leighton grabbed me as soon as I reached them. “Are you crazy?!” he yelled. “You could’ve been killed!”

“I thought-” I stopped when I saw his arm. Blood ran down his sleeve. “You’re hurt!”

“I’m fine,” he said quickly, but his voice shook.

Ashton stepped beside us, breathing hard. His eyes were still glowing faintly. “There’s more of them.”

Leighton looked at me. “You need to get back inside. Now.”

“I’m not leaving you two.”

He grabbed my face, forcing me to look at him. “Please, Omari. For once, listen to me.”

His voice cracked a little, and that scared me more than anything else.

I nodded. “Okay.”

He let go, but his thumb brushed my cheek before he turned away. That tiny touch made something flutter in my chest even through the fear.

The red lights came closer again. Three of them.

The air started to hum like before.

Leighton pushed me back toward the door. “Go!”

I took a step back, but my legs didn’t want to move.

Then, from behind us, a loud bang shook the yard.

Light exploded from somewhere near the gate,  a burst of white that made the red lights vanish.

I covered my eyes.

When I looked again, the red glow was gone. The fog had started to clear.

Leighton lowered his hand slowly. “They’re gone,” he said.

Ashton didn’t answer. His jaw was tight, his shirt torn at the shoulder. “Not gone,” he said. “Just hiding.”

He turned to me, his voice low. “You shouldn’t have come out here.”

Before I could answer, thunder rolled across the sky.

The smell of rain came again, sharp and cold.

Leighton looked up, his eyes still glowing faintly. “This isn’t over.”

And for a second, I saw it too,  a faint red glimmer at the edge of the forest, watching us.