The dog lay curled on a blanket in the corner of Lena's small living room, his dark fur blending with the soft grey of the fabric. He seemed calm now, but his golden eyes remained alert, watching her with an intensity that made her uneasy. Lena sat on the couch, sipping a mug of tea, trying to make sense of the strange series of events that had brought him here.
It had been two days since she'd found him injured by the roadside. She'd done her best to treat his wounds, carefully cleaning the cuts and applying bandages. For a stray, he was unusually obedient, letting her handle him without so much as a growl or flinch. But something about him didn't add up.
He wasn't like any other dog she had cared for. There was a strange awareness in his eyes, almost as if he understood everything she said. He followed her every movement with a silent intensity, and sometimes, when the house was quiet, she swore she felt him studying her, not just watching—studying.
Lena sighed, setting her tea on the coffee table. "Shadow," she murmured, trying out the name she had impulsively given him. "It suits you, don't you think? Dark, mysterious, and… not entirely normal."
The dog's ears perked up, and for a moment, Lena thought she saw a flicker of amusement in his eyes. She laughed softly at herself. "Great, now I'm imagining a dog finding me funny. I need more sleep."
But sleep had been elusive these past two nights.
It wasn't just the strange connection she felt to Shadow that kept her awake. There were other, stranger things happening too.
The lights in her house had started flickering at odd intervals, though there had never been an issue with the wiring before. Her phone, which always rested on the nightstand, had mysteriously powered off even though it had been fully charged. And then there were the noises.
At first, Lena thought it was just the creaks of her old house settling, but now, she wasn't so sure. Sometimes, in the dead of night, she'd hear faint whispers. They weren't loud enough to make out the words, but they sounded… close. Too close.
She had chalked it up to stress. After all, finding a wounded animal on the road and then being attacked by a strange man in the same night would rattle anyone. But as much as she tried to convince herself that everything was fine, the uneasy feeling in her chest refused to fade.
Shadow didn't help ease her nerves either. He had started following her everywhere. If she was in the kitchen, he'd sit quietly by the door. If she went to her bedroom, he would wait outside, his golden eyes just visible in the dim hallway light. His presence was oddly comforting and unnerving at the same time.
That evening, Lena decided to inspect Shadow's wounds again. She knelt beside him, gently pulling back the makeshift bandages she'd applied. What she saw made her freeze.
The cuts that had looked deep and raw just two days ago were now almost completely healed.
Her brows furrowed as she traced a finger near the edge of one of the wounds, careful not to touch it directly. "That's not possible," she whispered. She'd treated countless animals before, and she knew the healing process. This was unnatural.
Shadow let out a low whine, drawing her attention back to his face. His golden eyes seemed to plead with her, as if asking her not to question what she was seeing.
Lena leaned back, her heart racing. "What are you, Shadow?" she asked softly.
He didn't respond, of course, but the room seemed to grow quieter, almost as if the air itself was holding its breath.
Later that night, Lena sat on her couch, absentmindedly scrolling through her phone while Shadow lay at her feet. Her tea had gone cold, untouched on the coffee table. The weight of the strange events was pressing down on her, making it hard to focus on anything else.
Suddenly, a soft noise broke the silence.
Lena froze, her thumb hovering over her phone screen. It was faint, almost inaudible, but it was there—a whisper.
"Lena…"
Her name.
She whipped her head around, her eyes darting across the room. Shadow was staring at her, his ears perked up and his body tense. He'd heard it too.
The whisper came again, this time clearer. "Lena… help…"
Her blood ran cold. It wasn't just a sound. It was a voice.
"Who's there?" she called out, her voice trembling. She stood up slowly, her gaze scanning every shadow in the room.
Shadow growled low in his throat, a deep, rumbling sound that made the hairs on Lena's arms stand on end. He was no longer calm—his body was rigid, his teeth bared as he stared toward the corner of the room.
Lena followed his gaze, her breath catching in her throat.
The corner was empty—or at least, it should have been. But now, the shadows there seemed darker, thicker, almost alive.
She took a step back, her heart pounding in her chest. "This isn't real," she whispered to herself.
But as she stared, the shadows began to shift, creeping along the walls like tendrils of smoke.
Shadow barked, a sharp, commanding sound that broke through Lena's paralysis. The shadows recoiled slightly, as if afraid of him, but they didn't disappear.
"Lena…" the whisper came again, this time sounding closer, almost as if it was right behind her.
She spun around, but there was nothing there.
Before she could make sense of what was happening, a loud knock echoed through the house.
The sound startled her so much that she almost dropped her phone. Shadow growled again, his body positioned protectively in front of her.
The knock came again, harder this time.
Lena's mind raced. It was almost midnight. Who would be at her door at this hour?
She hesitated, her feet rooted to the spot. Then, summoning every ounce of courage she had, she moved toward the door, Shadow close at her side.
Her hand trembled as she reached for the doorknob. She opened the door just a crack, enough to peer outside.
A man stood on her porch, his face partially hidden by the hood of his jacket. His eyes glinted in the dim light, sharp and knowing.
"You need to be careful, Lena," he said, his voice low and urgent. "They're coming for you."
Lena's heart stopped. "Who are you? What are you talking about?"
The man glanced over his shoulder, as if checking for something—or someone. "You don't have time to ask questions. Protect the dog. Protect yourself."
Before Lena could respond, the man turned and vanished into the night, leaving her standing there, trembling, with more questions than answers.
She shut the door quickly, locking it behind her. When she turned back to Shadow, he was staring at her, his golden eyes burning with a mixture of warning and something else—something she couldn't quite place.
And then, from the corner of
the room, the whisper came again.
"Lena… run…"