Chapter 20 Twenty
Mira didn’t think.
She just ran.
Out of the room. Down the hallway. Past the shadow chasing her... that suddenly felt too close.
Her bare feet hit the cold floor hard, uneven, slipping slightly as she turned a corner fast.
Her breath came out in short bursts.
No matter how far she ran, she found herself back in the same spot.
Her room.
“Mira.”
Her name echoed behind her.
He kept calling out for her no matter how fast she ran. He kept catching up..
“Mira.. Mira.” his voice came again
She didn’t turn. Didn’t dare.
She ran faster.
The hallway stretched longer than she remembered. The doors on both sides locked … then she turned to the ball at her right and ran as fast as she could. All the doors still locked.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
She reached the staircase and rushed down, almost missing a step.
“Mira.” his voice Closer this time.
Right behind her.
Her chest tightened.
No.
No no no—
She pushed forward, stumbling into the main hall.
The front doors.
She grabbed the handle and yanked it open.
Cold night air hit her face instantly.
She didn’t stop. She ran outside.
Into the dark.
Her bare feet scraping the ground...
She couldn't find the guards.. No one was at the mansion just her… the sound of her breathing and her feet hitting the ground.
The gate ahead looked farther than it should be.
Everything looked… stretched.
She kept running.
Don’t stop. Don’t stop. Don’t stop—
Footsteps followed behind her.
Slow. Steady. Not rushing.
He wasn't chasing her.. He was tormenting her. Knowing there was nowhere for her to run to.
She risked a glance over her shoulder… And her stomach dropped.
Salvatore.
Walking behind her like he had all the time in the world.
Shirtless…. Blood still smeared across his chest.
And in his hand…. A knife.
Dark. Wet. Dripping with blood.
Her breath hitched.
She turned forward towards the gate and ran harder, panic fully taking over her.
“How long do you want to keep doing this, Mira?”
His voice echoed through the night.
when she looked again— He was still far back.
Walking. Smiling.
“No… no I can't let him get me.. I can't die like this.”
Her legs started to burn. Her lungs tightening.
But she couldn’t stop. She wouldn’t stop.
The gate was right there.
Just a few more steps… and she's free
Her foot caught on something causing her to fall hard. The ground knocked the air out of her lungs.
For a second, she couldn’t breathe.
Couldn’t move.
Pain shot through her knees, her palms.
She tried to push herself up— But he grabbed her ankle.
His cold hands held her legs firm..
Her entire body froze.
Slowly… Slowly…
She looked back.
Salvatore crouched behind her.
His grip tight around her ankle.
His face… too close.
“Why do you keep running?,” he said quietly.
His thumb pressed lightly against her skin.
“…when you know you can't leave.. You're never leaving here except you're dead.”
Her chest heaved.
“No—” she whispered, trying to pull away.
His grip tightened.
The knife glinted under the faint moonlight.
“Never,” he continued, tilting his head slightly, studying her like she was something interesting.
“Never”
Her heart pounded so hard it hurt.
“Never.” He started dragging her.
Slowly.
Back toward the mansion.
Her nails dug into the ground as she tried to hold on, tried to fight..
“No—! Let me go!”
Her voice broke.
He didn’t stop.
Didn’t even struggle. He dragged her like she weighed nothing.
The ground scraped against her skin.
She kicked. Fought.
Begged.
Nothing worked.
“Please—!” she gasped.
His grip shifted.
Suddenly— He flipped her onto her back hard.
The impact knocked the breath out of her again.
Before she could move— He was on top of her.
Pinning her down.
One hand pressing her shoulder into the ground.
The other is holding the knife.
Hovering. Right above her.
Her body went still.
Completely still.
Her chest rising and falling too fast.
Her eyes were wide. Locked on his.
His face lowered slowly toward hers.
Close enough for her to feel his breath.
“Do you have any idea what you did wrong ?” he murmured.
Her throat tightened.
“No…” she whispered.
His lips curved slightly.
“Youre too nosy and that's what getting you killed.”
The knife lowered. Slowly.
Closer to her chest.
Her heart stuttered.
“No—”
“Everyone bleeds the same way.”
The tip of the blade touched her skin.
Cold. Sharp.
She gasped.
“Wait—!”
He didn’t.”Goodbye Mira.”
The knife pressed….hard on her chest
And then..
Mira shot up in bed with a gasp.
Her chest heaving violently. Her entire body was shaking. Sweat clung to her skin.
Her hands flew to her chest.
No blood. No knife.
No Salvatore.
Just her in her very dark room.
Her breath came out unevenly.
Fast and loud
She looked around wildly.
Nothing.
No one was inside her room.
Her heart still racing like it hadn’t gotten escaped what had just happened..
A dream.
It was just a dream… it was a nightmare
But it didn’t feel like one.
It felt… Real.
Too real.
Mira dragged a shaky hand down her face.
“…What the hell…”
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
She swung her legs off the bed slowly.
Still trying to steady her breathing..