"She has him, until every last star in the galaxy dies, she has him."
The feeling of being watched weighed heavily on her now, sending shivers down her spine. It was getting scarier by the minute.
The night air was crisp, ruffling her hair gently, but the unease lingered. It felt like tonight, making it home safe was an impossible task.
"Why am I walking so slow?" she wondered aloud, her steps hesitant.
Whenever she felt this unsettled, her pace always slowed down. The stars seemed to close in on her as she made her way through the park towards the subway.
Chloe swiped her metro card and descended a flight of stairs along with other commuters onto the platform.
Following the signs, she walked through a dimly lit hallway towards another set of stairs leading down to the subway platform.
Deciding that taking the train would be quicker, she scanned the barely lit platform. There were no other commuters in sight, just two people waiting as a train pulled in. They boarded, leaving her alone, as it wasn't the train she needed.
She fished out her notes, squinting to read them in the darkness, questioning if she was on the right platform, when suddenly...
"Chloe Sinclair?"
Chloe jumped a little when she heard her name, turning to see a man in a fancy suit coming down the stairs.
He had this intense look in his eyes like he was sizing her up or something. He seemed sort of familiar, but she was pretty sure she'd never laid eyes on him before. He was tall, dressed sharply in black, with a white shirt underneath and a dark blue tie. His hair was thick and black, with a touch of gray creeping in at the sides. His face seemed tired, pale, and serious.
"Who's asking?" Chloe replied, trying to keep her voice steady despite the surprise.
The man approached her with a smile. "I'm Michael King. Your father was a close friend of mine and we were in business together."
Chloe couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling she got from him.
"Well, I don't recall hearing about you," Chloe said, eyeing him suspiciously.
Michael squinted back at her, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "That's because we never crossed paths. Oh, and I'm sorry about your grandfather."
Chloe's dislike for him solidified at that moment.
"Thanks. I should get going now. Nice meeting you, Mr. King," Chloe said, trying to keep her cool even though she felt a shiver run down her spine, not from the cold but from something about him that didn't sit right with her.
"It's getting pretty late, but before you head out, I need a little something from you," he said casually, as if it were the most ordinary request in the world.
Chloe blinked, taken aback by his words. "Sorry, what?" she stammered, trying to process what he was asking.
"You heard me, Miss Sinclair. I just need a sample of your hair, and then you're free to go," he replied, taking a step closer to her.
Feeling uneasy, Chloe raised her hand defensively. "Um, okay, that's... kind of weird. I think I should probably get going," she said, edging backward.
"I'd prefer not to make this difficult, Chloe. It's just a hair," he insisted, moving toward her with purpose in his steps.
Chloe's heart raced as she continued to back away, her mind racing with confusion and fear.
"I really don't understand why you need my hair," Chloe said, her voice trembling slightly. "And why are you so insistent about it?"
He sighed, his expression shifting to impatience. "Look, Chloe, it's just a routine procedure. Your father suggested it, actually. We just need it for confirmation purposes."
"My father?" Chloe repeated, her brows furrowing in confusion. "I don't understand. Why would my father want you to take my hair? And when did he tell you that? He's dead."
He shrugged dismissively. "Yes, but you know how these things go. It's all just precautionary measures. Now, if you could just—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Chloe's eyes widened in horror as she caught sight of the gun tucked into his waistband.
"Wait, why do have that?" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with fear.
He reached for the gun with a cold determination in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Chloe. But you're not leaving until I get what I need."
He brandished a gun, its tip muffled with a silencer, sending a shiver down her spine as she caught sight of it.
Her heart raced as she grasped the imminent danger she faced.
"Stay back!" She shouted, her voice quivering with fear, her hands raised defensively.
But before she could make another move, he lunged forward, his intent clear. Her instincts kicked in; she swung her knee upwards, aiming for his groin. With a sharp grunt of pain, he doubled over, momentarily stunned.
Seizing the opportunity, she reached for the gun, her fingers brushing against the cold metal. But before she could secure her grip, he recovered, his hand snaking out to grab her wrist.
Their struggle intensified, the scuffle sending Chloe's cell phone tumbling across the platform, its screen cracking upon impact.
Desperation fueled her efforts to break free, but Michael's strength proved overwhelming. With a forceful shove, he sent Chloe crashing to the ground, her breath knocked out of her.
As he raised the gun, his finger inching towards the trigger, her mind raced, searching for a way out.
And then suddenly a guttural roar echoed in the subway, in the flesh, SOMETHING POUNCED!
At that moment, Michael's guards who were hiding in the dark came running off towards him as they encircled Michael in a protective circle. The guards were knocked to the ground one by one, and it was just like that night three months ago …
The SHADOWY BLUR and the sound of SCREAMS, of BONES being CRUSHED, LIMBS being TORN, FANGS RIPPING at FLESH - and then, just as suddenly, the SOUNDS were cut short.
The guards' limps were tossed, mauled bodies onto the TRACK.
Although Michael's body was nowhere around, he might have gone down to save himself.
Chloe stared, stunned, shell-shocked.
There, before her, though it was barely lit, was the Beast from her memories, the man she called a stranger for the last three months, who revealed himself as Neil, who kept her safe from all the dangers lurking around.
Before she could speak, he raced off into the tunnels ...
But she was not the same girl she was back then. She had an aim to achieve, and she was not going to let him get away this time. She grabbed her cell phone lying on the platform, tearing after him. And as she disappeared into the tunnels.
The tunnel was 40 feet underground. An occasional fluorescent light cast a bluish glow on the track. Chloe raced along the narrow side path, calling out into the wind tunnel, "Hey! I know you're in here!"
No response!
As always, but tonight she was stubborn to get her answers. She ran on, arriving at an intersection.
Rumblings of trains echoed from every direction, disorienting her when -- a SHADOW darted across one of the tunnels.
Chloe yelled, "Hey! Stop!" She tore after him, but tripped hard, narrowly missing the third rail.
Blood started oozing from her knee. Before she could pick herself up— A light suddenly fell upon her, an ONCOMING TRAIN!
She was frozen, paralyzed with fear as the train barreled towards her when— SOMETHING or rather someone grabbed her from above, yanking her out of the way just in time.
His masked face was inches away, body pressed against hers, their proximity sending a jolt of electricity through her veins. They stood there, locked in a moment of shared adrenaline, as the train thundered past them, mere inches away.
Now that he was this close, and the flickering light from the train passing by illuminated his face, she realized, that even though the fangs and glowing eyes were gone, a mask was still on.
Staring for a few seconds, "Neil ..." Murmured Chloe, looking into his deep pools of forest greens who looked at her intently.
He held her gaze for a moment longer before finally speaking, his voice low and urgent. "We need to get out of here."
With a nod, she followed him, her heart still racing from the near miss. As they moved away from the tracks, she couldn't shake the feeling that their encounter was far from over.