Chapter 10:
Maya closed the door behind her, the echo of Felix's unsettling behavior still gnawing at her mind. His eyes- that flicker of red and his strange mutterings had left a pit in her stomach. The air in the house felt heavy, suffused with a darkness she couldn't shake.
She leaned against the door, her breath shaky. Something wasn't right with Felix. The brother she once knew seemed to be slipping further away, his actions shrouded in secrecy and madness.A sudden creak overhead broke her thoughts. She jerked her head up. The sound had come from the attic.
Her heart pounded, each beat echoing like a drum in her ears. She didn't want to go up there, but an inexplicable pull compelled her. Maybe, just maybe, there were answers hidden away — answers that could explain Felix's behavior, the strange bruises, the red-eyed visions haunting her.
Steeling herself, she climbed the narrow attic steps, each creaking under her weight. The attic door stuck slightly before giving way with a groan, and a wave of cold air swept over her. Dust motes swirled in the weak light filtering through a single window, and the scent of aged wood and forgotten memories hung in the air.
Her eyes scanned the dim space - old furniture covered in white sheets, boxes stacked haphazardly, and forgotten relics of the past. She moved carefully, the floorboards protesting underfoot. In the far corner, an old wooden chest caught her attention. Unlike the other items, this chest was spotless, as though someone had been tending to it.
She knelt beside it, fingers trembling as she undid the latch. The lid creaked open, revealing a stack of yellowed papers and a leather-bound book. Her fingers brushed the cover, the initials E.S. barely visible beneath layers of dust.
Her mother's diary.
With a shaky breath, she flipped through the pages. At first, it was filled with her mother's musings — daily thoughts, memories, worries about raising two children alone. But as she delved deeper, the tone shifted.
The handwriting grew erratic, the entries filled with dread.
"Something is watching us. Felix sees it, too. The red eyes haunt my dreams and my waking hours."
Maya's breath caught. Her mother had seen them too. The same eyes that tormented her now. She reads on;
"I had no choice. To protect my children, I made the pact. But I didn't know the cost. The curse is bound to our bloodline. If the debt isn't settled, it will come for them... one by one."
A chill raced through her veins. The red eyes. The bruises. The feeling of being hunted. It was all connected. This wasn't random; it was a curse woven into her family's history.
She pulled out the other documents in the chest — old family records, letters with cryptic warnings, and sketches of a shadowy figure with eyes like twin flames. Her hands shook as she pieced it together.
Her family had been marked for generations. A debt of blood. And now, it was her turn to pay.
A floorboard creaked behind her.
She whipped around, her pulse racing. The attic was empty, but the shadows felt alive, pressing in on her. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, making her jump. She fumbled to pull it out and saw a message from Mr. Park:
"Come to the station. We've found something."
She carefully gathered the diary and documents, shoving them into her bag. As she descended the attic stairs, the shadows seemed to stretch and twist, as if reaching for her. She slammed the attic door shut, her breath ragged.
Mr. Park's Interrogation
At the precinct, Mr. Park sat across from Felix, his sharp eyes studying the young man. Felix's face was pale, a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead. His fingers tapped rhythmically on the metal table, a restless, agitated motion.
Mr. Park folded his hands on the table. "Felix, I need you to be honest with me. What do you know about the red eyes?"
Felix's tapping stopped. His eyes darted to the side, avoiding Mr. Park's gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Mr. Park leaned forward, his voice low and calm. "Felix, people are dying. Maya is in danger. If you know something, anything you need to tell me."
Felix's jaw clenched. His eyes flickered with something — fear, guilt, or perhaps both. "I'm trying to protect her." "From what?" Felix's eyes met Mr. Park's, and for a brief moment, they flared red. He blinked, and they returned to their normal deep black. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
Felix's fists tightened until his knuckles turned white. "It's too late. It's always been too late."
Before Mr. Park could press further, his phone buzzed. A message from the surveillance team.
"You need to see this."
The Figure in the Shadows
Mr. Park's face was grim as he studied the security footage. The screen displayed a grainy black-and-white image of Maya's street. At first, everything seemed normal — the usual blur of cars and pedestrians. But then, at the edge of the frame, a figure appeared.
Tall and slender, its silhouette wavered like smoke. Its eyes, two glowing orbs of crimson, locked onto Maya's building. The figure stood motionless for a moment before melting back into the shadows.
Mr. Park's jaw tightened. The entity was getting bolder.
He turned to Felix, who had been watching over his shoulder. Felix's face was pale, his eyes wide with terror.
"You recognize it, don't you?" Mr. Park asked.
Felix didn't answer. He didn't need to.
The war had already begun. He muttered under his breath, 'it's too late'.