Chapter 54 Taken in the Dark

Chapter 54 Taken in the Dark
“Ayara… Ayara… Ayara.”

I knocked lightly on the lid of the coffin as I called her name.

For a few seconds there was no response.

Then a muffled voice came from inside.

“What?”

I smiled.

A moment later the lid shifted slightly, then slowly slid open. Ayara pushed it aside and sat up inside the coffin, blinking as she looked at me.

She looked tired… but still very much herself.

I leaned against the bed and smiled at her.

“You’ve been laying in there for a long time,” I said. “It’s already 11 p.m. and I know you aren’t sleepy.”

I gestured around the room.

“Come on. It’s only me here.”

Ayara sighed softly before climbing out of the coffin. She walked over and sat beside me on the bed.

“Where are Timi and Juliet?” she asked.

“They’re with Waje,” I replied. “Still trying to find a loophole… some kind of cure for you.”

Ayara looked down at the floor.

Her shoulders dropped slightly.

I could tell the thought weighed on her.

I quickly spoke again before the silence grew heavier.

“Let’s go out,” I said.

She looked up.

“I’m bored. Let’s go somewhere.”

She groaned and leaned back slightly.

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

She stared at me for a moment before finally sighing.

“Okay… but wait outside while I change.”

I nodded and stepped out of the room.

I leaned against the wall in the hallway and waited. The house was quiet, the only sound being faint movements coming from somewhere deeper in the cabin.

A few minutes passed.

Then the door opened.

I looked up.

Ayara stepped out wearing a yellow sundress covered in small yellow flower patterns. The dress moved lightly around her legs as she stepped forward.

She did a small spin in front of me, the fabric of the dress swaying gently.

Then she stopped and looked at me.

“What do you think?” she asked.

“I think you look beautiful,” I said.

And I meant it.

For a moment I just stood there looking at her, trying to reconcile the girl standing in front of me with what Waje had said earlier. It was hard to believe someone who looked this alive… this radiant… could be fatally sick.

A quiet thought crept into my mind.

I wish there was something I could do.

But there wasn’t.

Not yet.

So the only thing I could do was stay beside her.

I slowly stretched my hand toward her.

Without hesitation, Ayara stepped forward and took it. Her fingers wrapped around mine, warm and gentle, and together we walked down the hallway toward the front door.

When we reached it, I pulled the door open.

And immediately froze.

Standing on the other side were Collette and Maria.

The two of them were standing there like they had been debating whether or not to knock. Their eyes widened slightly when the door suddenly opened and they saw us.

“Hey guys,” I said casually. “What are you doing here?”

Maria smiled faintly.

“It’s been quite some time since we last saw you.”

Her eyes slowly drifted downward.

To our hands.

And that was when it hit me.

We had told them we were cousins.

Cousins who were now very clearly standing at the door holding hands.

I quickly let go of Ayara’s hand like I had just touched something hot.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ayara look up at me.

She gave me the saddest little puppy look, like a child who just had their favorite toy taken away.

And suddenly I felt like the worst person alive.

But I had to ignore it.

Maria continued talking like she hadn’t noticed anything strange.

“So we were wondering… if you wanted to hang out and do something crazy tonight.”

I glanced at Ayara.

She was still looking at me with that sad puppy face, and I could already tell she wouldn’t want extra company tonight. Not like this. Not when she was already carrying the weight of what Waje had said.

So I made the decision for both of us.

“Maybe tomorrow,” I said. “Ayara and I are going to watch a movie tonight.”

It was a lie.

Maria nodded.

“Okay then… tomorrow.”

Collette gave a small wave and the two of them walked away down the path.

I closed the door.

The moment the latch clicked shut, the silence in the hallway felt heavy.

Ayara and I turned and looked at each other.

“What’s wrong?” I asked softly.

Before I could say anything else, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me.

Then she started crying.

“I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die… I don’t want to die, Daniel…”

Her voice kept breaking as the words came out, each one choking through tears.

I immediately hugged her back, holding her tightly.

“You won’t die,” I whispered. “I promise you.”

We just stood there like that for a while. No words. Just her quiet sobbing against my shoulder and my arms around her.

Eventually she pulled away first.

I slowly let go too.

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and took a shaky breath.

“Let’s go,” she said.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

She nodded.

“Yeah. It’s a beautiful night. Let’s not waste it.”

She tried to smile.

“Let’s go watch a movie. I’ve never been to a cinema before.”

I looked at her for a moment.

Then I nodded.

“Okay.”

We left the house and started walking down the quiet street.

The night air was cool, carrying the soft sounds of distant cars and the occasional rustling of leaves. Streetlights stretched along the road, casting long shadows that followed us as we walked side by side.

For a while neither of us said anything.

Then Ayara spoke.

“When this is over… I’ll go back home to Nhim.”

I looked at her.

“What will happen to you when you get there?”

She shrugged lightly.

“I might be labeled a traitor,” she said casually. “They might lock me up for the rest of my years.”

My stomach tightened immediately.

The thought of her being locked away somewhere far from here, alone for centuries, made my chest feel heavy.

I must have looked terrified because suddenly Ayara burst out laughing.

A real, loud laugh.

“You should have seen your face!” she said between laughs.

I frowned.

“That’s not funny.”

She nudged my shoulder playfully.

“Relax, Daniel. I’ll be okay.”

Then she smirked.

“I’ll just tell them you brainwashed me into your rebellion and that I finally escaped from you and found my way back to my family.”

I stared at her.

“Would that really work?”

She gave a confident shrug.

“Of course. I’m the most precious member of the royal family.”

I let out a quiet breath.

“I’ll miss you, Ayara.”

She glanced sideways at me with a teasing smile.

“Of course you will.”

We kept walking down the street after that, the city lights glowing ahead of us as the night stretched on.

Soon we arrived at a small cinema tucked between two old stone buildings.

The place looked charming and slightly old-fashioned, very different from the modern theaters I had seen before. A glowing sign hung above the entrance, its soft yellow lights reflecting on the wet pavement from an earlier drizzle.

We walked inside.

The interior felt warm and cozy. The walls were covered with framed movie posters, some new and glossy while others looked decades old. Posters of French films, dramatic black-and-white classics, and colorful romantic comedies lined the hallway. The smell of buttered popcorn and sweet caramel filled the air.

A few couples stood near the snack counter, speaking softly in French while a quiet instrumental melody played through speakers hidden somewhere in the ceiling.

Ayara slowly turned her head, taking everything in like a curious child seeing the world for the first time.

“Wow,” she whispered. “So this is a cinema.”

We walked over to the ticket counter where a middle-aged attendant stood behind the glass.

I asked him what movie was playing next.

The man leaned forward slightly and answered in a deep, heavy French accent.

“Ah yes… the next film is a romantic comedy, monsieur. Very popular tonight. Lucky for you, it will have English subtitles, but the film itself will be in French.”

He glanced at a clock behind him.

“It begins in approximately thirty-five minutes. You may purchase your tickets now and return shortly before the showing.”

I nodded.

“That’s fine.”

I paid for two tickets, and he slid them under the glass toward us.

“Enjoy the film.”

We thanked him and turned around.

As we walked toward the exit, Ayara suddenly grabbed my arm and lifted it over her shoulders, resting it comfortably around her neck as if we had been doing it for years.

We stepped back outside into the cool night air.

I looked down at her.

“So… what do you want to do while we wait?”

Her eyes lit up instantly.

“I want ice cream.”

She pointed down the street.

Not far away, under a flickering streetlamp, an old ice cream truck was parked by the sidewalk. A small line of people stood in front of it, laughing and chatting as they waited their turn.

“Well,” I said with a small smile, “looks like you’re getting ice cream.”

So we started walking toward the truck.

We joined the line and waited quietly.

A few minutes later, a group of boys walked over and stood behind us. There were about four of them, maybe in their early twenties. At first they were just talking loudly among themselves, laughing and shoving each other, clearly a little drunk.

We ignored them.

Then one of them said something in French and tapped Ayara on the shoulder.

That got our attention.

Both of us slowly turned around.

The boy smirked when he saw our faces.

“Ah… tourists,” he said in broken English. “Where are you from, beautiful girl?”

Ayara didn’t answer.

Neither did I.

We simply turned back around and faced the ice cream truck again.

For a moment it seemed like that was the end of it.

Then suddenly the boy reached forward and pulled Ayara’s hair.

That was a mistake.

Ayara spun around instantly and slapped him across the face.

The sound cracked through the night.

For a second everyone in the line froze.

Then the rest of the boys reacted.

Two of them rushed forward, trying to grab her.

Before they could reach her, I stepped in and kicked one of them hard in the chest, sending him crashing backward onto the pavement.

The boy who had been slapped held his cheek for a moment, his eyes burning with anger.

He said something quickly in French to the others.

I didn’t understand the words, but the tone was clear enough.

The boys suddenly backed away. One by one they stepped out of the line, throwing us cold looks before turning and walking down the street.

I watched them leave but didn’t say anything.

Ayara simply crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

A few minutes later it was finally our turn.

We stepped up to the ice cream truck and ordered. The vendor handed us our cones through the small window, and we thanked him before stepping aside.

I checked the time on my phone.

“Still twenty minutes before the movie starts,” I said.

Ayara took a lick of her ice cream and smiled.

“Then let’s walk around for a bit.”

So we did.

We wandered down the quiet street, the night air cool against our skin. The crowds near the cinema slowly faded as we moved farther away from the lights.

After a few minutes we reached a darker part of the street where the buildings cast long shadows across the pavement.

That was when I heard it.

A heartbeat.

Fast.

Pounding.

At first I couldn’t tell where it was coming from.

I slowed down slightly, listening.

Then suddenly—

One of the dumpsters ahead of us shifted.

Before I could react, one of the boys from earlier stepped out from behind it.

And he swung.

A massive mallet crashed into the side of my head.

The impact exploded through my skull and the world instantly spun sideways.

I hit the ground hard.

I could hear Ayara screaming.

Her voice cut through the ringing in my ears as I struggled to push myself up from the ground.

Before I could even get on my knees—

WHAM!

Another blow crashed into the side of my head.

The world spun violently and I collapsed again, the pavement slamming against my cheek.

All I could hear now was Ayara’s voice.

“Daniel!”

She was screaming my name.

Through the haze I heard the voice of the boy who had pulled her hair earlier. He shouted something in French—angry, sharp words I couldn’t understand.

Then the beating started.

Heavy blows landed across my ribs, my back, my shoulders.

Each hit sent waves of pain through my body.

Boots slammed into me again and again while my vision flickered between darkness and blurry flashes of the alley.

The taste of blood filled my mouth.

Somewhere above the noise, Ayara was still screaming.

Then the boy shouted something again.

Another order.

Suddenly the blows stopped.

I heard hurried footsteps moving away down the street.

Their voices faded into the distance.

For a moment the alley was filled only with Ayara’s terrified cries.

Then—

Silence.

Her voice stopped.

A few seconds passed.

Slowly, strength returned to my limbs.

I pushed myself up from the ground, my head pounding as blood ran down the side of my face.

I wiped my eyes with my hands, smearing the blood away so I could see.

I looked around the dark corner.

The alley was empty.

The boys were gone.

And so was Ayara.

They had taken her.