The cold air bit at Addison's skin as she moved through the trees, the silence of the night wrapping around her like a second presence. Every step felt heavier, but she didn't stop. Couldn't.
She didn't know exactly where she was going-just away. Away from Amanda's watchful gaze. Away from Aonmi's suffocating presence. Away from the weight of something she couldn't yet name.
But as the night stretched on, unease curled in her chest. The trees around her felt unfamiliar, their twisted branches stretching toward the sky like grasping fingers. The ground beneath her feet was solid, yet there was an eerie emptiness in the air, as if the world had shifted just slightly out of place.
Then, a sound.
Not the wind. Not an animal.
A voice.
Soft. Familiar.
"You were never meant to stay."
Her breath caught.
The hooded figure.
She turned sharply, scanning the darkness, but nothing was there.
"A dream? Or a memory?"
She squeezed her eyes shut. No. It wasn't real. Just exhaustion. Just stress.
But when she opened them again, she wasn't alone.
The figure stood at the edge of the clearing, watching. Waiting.
Addison's body tensed. She should run. She should fight. She should do something.
But instead, she asked, "Who are you?"
Silence stretched between them.
Then, the figure took a step closer, their voice a whisper carried by the wind.
"You already know."
A chill ran through her.
Because deep down...
She did.
___________
Addison's breath came slow and shallow as she stared at the hooded figure. The world around them felt thinner, like the space between reality and something else had stretched too far.
"I don't know you," she said, though even as the words left her lips, they felt like a lie.
The figure tilted their head slightly. "Don't you?"
Their voice was gentle, but something about it sent a deep unease crawling under her skin. The longer she looked at them, the more something inside her stirred-something distant, something buried.
Her heartbeat pounded in her ears.
She took a step back. "What do you want?"
The hooded figure didn't move. "To remind you."
A chill curled around Addison's spine.
"Of what?"
They lifted a hand and gestured to the trees around them. "This place. This moment." Their voice was steady, but something about it carried an emotion she couldn't place. "You've been here before, Addison."
She swallowed hard.
"No."
A whisper of wind passed between them, rustling the leaves.
"Yes."
Her head shook on instinct. This was just another one of those strange dreams. Just another trick of her overworked mind. She didn't know this place. She couldn't.
But why, then, did the air taste like memory?
"Think," the figure urged. "Before it's too late."
Too late?
The words sent a sharp, pulsing dread through her.
Her pulse quickened, and for a fleeting second, she almost asked-Too late for what?
But then-
A sound.
Distant. Faint.
Footsteps.
Real ones.
Her chest tightened. Someone was coming.
And deep in her gut, she knew who.
Aonmi.
_______________
The weight of the moment shattered as the distant sound of footsteps pressed through the unnatural quiet.
No.
Addison turned sharply, heart hammering. The air felt thick, the trees warping at the edges of her vision as if the world itself was shifting in response to her panic.
Aonmi was coming.
She didn't know how she knew-but she felt it, deep in her bones. And if he found her now-
She swallowed hard.
The hooded figure didn't move. "You don't have much time."
Her fingers curled into fists. "What does that mean?"
Their voice was steady, yet weighted with something almost... regretful. "You already know."
Frustration and fear twisted inside her. She didn't have time for riddles. Aonmi was getting closer-she could feel it, his presence a sharp and heavy thing pressing into the edges of her mind.
Her breath hitched.
She had to go.
She didn't even know where, only that she couldn't be here when he arrived.
But-
Her gaze flickered back to the hooded figure.
This was the second time she'd seen them. The second time they'd spoken in half-truths and fragments.
If she left now, would she ever get answers?
Her pulse thrummed.
Stay and ask.
Run while you still can.
She hesitated-
And then-
A sound-closer, sharp. The snap of a branch underfoot.
Aonmi was nearly here.
Her breath came fast and shallow as instinct took over.
She ran.
_________________
Addison's feet pounded the uneven forest floor as she pushed herself forward, her heart racing with a fear she couldn't contain. Branches scratched at her skin, the underbrush snagging at her legs, but she didn't stop. She couldn't. Not now. Not when the suffocating weight of Aonmi's presence was so close.
The woods were twisted, the trees bending at strange angles, and the path was nothing more than a vague suggestion in the dark. Every corner felt like a dead end, every turn leading her deeper into something more alien and wrong. The air was thick with something she couldn't name, pressing against her chest, making it harder to breathe.
She glanced over her shoulder-
Nothing.
Yet she could feel him. He's close. The thought burned through her like wildfire.
Her body was already exhausted from running, but she had no choice. She couldn't slow down, couldn't risk him catching up. Not like this.
The ground beneath her feet felt wrong, almost as if she wasn't standing on solid earth anymore. It felt like she was running in a dream, everything distant and distorted. She gasped for air, legs burning, heart hammering-Keep going-but even in her panic, she couldn't shake the strange pull that kept her moving forward, deeper into the unknown.
She didn't know if she was running to escape or if something else was pulling her. It was like the world was wrapping itself around her, forcing her to go in a direction she couldn't resist.
But then, as she rounded another bend, she came face to face with something-someone.
The hooded figure was there again, standing in the path.
"No!" Addison shouted, her voice strained, but the figure didn't move.
They didn't speak at first. They simply stood there, cloaked in shadow. The cold radiating from them chilled her to the bone.
"You can't run forever," they said softly.
Addison's throat tightened. She wanted to scream, to push them aside and keep running, but the words caught in her chest.
They were right. She couldn't run forever.
She could feel Aonmi's presence now, suffocating, burning through the air. She could feel him closing in, and it was only a matter of moments before he found her.
The figure didn't seem surprised by her hesitation. They only tilted their head, the hood moving slightly. "It's not him you should fear."
Addison froze.
"What?" Her voice came out small, broken.
The figure stepped forward, closing the distance between them, their voice quiet but laced with an unsettling truth.
"You've always known this. Deep down."
Addison's chest tightened. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The figure's eyes gleamed in the dark, faintly glowing as they stared at her with an intensity that made Addison feel like they could see into her very soul.
"You're running from yourself," they said softly. "From the truth."
She shook her head violently, stepping back. "No! I'm not-"
But the words faltered as she met the figure's gaze.
The ground beneath her feet shifted again, as if the earth itself was reacting to the figure's presence. She felt dizzy, disoriented, like the world was spinning around her. The sky above seemed to stretch and twist, becoming a blur of darkness and light, until she couldn't tell where she was anymore.
She had to leave. She had to run. She couldn't be here.
And then-
A crack.
Not a sound in the distance. But the very air seemed to split around her. A presence so strong that it felt like it tore the space apart.
Aonmi.
He's here.
She turned, but before she could move, a dark shadow swept over her vision. The trees groaned, the world swirling in impossible angles, and the hooded figure was gone-vanished into the void like smoke.
She barely had time to gasp before something-someone-gripped her arm, yanking her around.
Aonmi stood before her. His expression was twisted, his eyes glowing with a dark, furious energy.
"No. No, you can't just run away from me." His voice was low and full of something frightening. He was trembling, his control slipping, his rage barely contained.
Addison's chest tightened. She wanted to push him away, to scream at him to leave her alone, but the terror in his eyes stopped her. She couldn't move.
"You don't understand," Aonmi growled. "You can't leave. Not after everything we've been through. You can't just leave me behind."
He was shaking, his face drawn in a grimace of raw emotion. There was a dangerous edge to his voice now, the kind of desperation that sent a shiver down her spine.
"Aonmi-please," Addison whispered, voice shaking. "You don't understand. I have to go."
"Go where?" His voice cracked, and for the first time, she saw just how far he was spiraling.
She tried to step back, but he gripped her wrist tighter, his fingers biting into her skin.
"Don't leave me," he pleaded. His voice was barely a whisper, raw with emotion. "I can't lose you, not again."
Addison's heart hammered in her chest. She didn't know what to say, how to explain. She didn't know what he meant by again, but it scared her. She didn't know who he was anymore.
"Aonmi... You're scaring me."
His gaze flickered to her for a split second, and then, as if a switch had been flipped, his entire demeanor changed. The desperate emotion was replaced by something darker, something dangerous.
"Then you should be scared," he growled.
With a sudden jerk, he pushed her back, not in anger but in a way that sent Addison stumbling.
He stepped back, eyes narrowed with something that almost resembled... fear.
"You're not going anywhere," he hissed, more to himself than her. "Not without me."
Addison backed up instinctively, her breath coming in shallow gasps. The fear in her chest expanded, but she refused to let it swallow her whole.
"You have to let me go," she whispered, voice trembling. "You're not the person I thought you were."
Aonmi's eyes flickered with something unreadable before his expression hardened again.
"I'll make you see. You'll understand. You have to."
Addison stumbled backward, almost tripping over her own feet as she realized how close he was. Her pulse raced, her chest tight with terror as she faced a side of him she hadn't seen before.
He was no longer the boy she thought she knew.
And she didn't know if she could survive the person he was becoming.
____________________
Addison's heart raced as she stepped back again, the air thick with tension. Aonmi stood in front of her, his chest heaving as his eyes blazed with something unrecognizable-fury, desperation, and a deep, gnawing fear. His grip on her wrist had loosened, but she could still feel the heat of his touch, like a brand searing into her skin. Every muscle in her body screamed at her to run, to get as far away from him as possible, but she couldn't.
She had to calm him.
Her mind raced, trying to find a way to reach him, to remind him of the person he used to be. The person she thought he was.
"Aonmi, please," she said softly, trying to keep her voice steady despite the trembling in her chest. "Listen to me. You have to stop. This isn't you."
He looked at her, his eyes dark, unreadable. But there was a flicker of something beneath the rage-a hint of confusion, of fear. For a split second, she thought she saw the boy she had once known, the boy who had smiled at her and protected her. The one who had shown her kindness.
But it disappeared just as quickly, replaced by something colder, harder.
"I don't want to hurt you, Addison," he said, his voice low and strained. "I never wanted to hurt you. But you're making me lose control. You're making me feel things I can't control."
His voice cracked on the last words, and for a brief moment, Addison could hear the real pain beneath his anger. He wasn't just scared of losing her-he was terrified of himself. Of what he might do if he let go of the control he had left.
Her breath caught in her throat. She took a step forward, careful, slow. She didn't want to provoke him, but she had to reach him. She had to calm him down before it was too late.
"Aonmi," she said, her voice soft but firm. "I know you're scared. I know you don't want to lose me. But I'm not the person you think I am anymore. You have to let me go. Let me find my own way."
His jaw tightened, and he took a step back, but his gaze never left hers. "I can't. I can't just let you leave. I can't watch you walk away and not know where you're going, not know who you're with."
"I'm not running away from you, Aonmi," she said, her voice trembling with emotion. "I'm not. I just need to be alone for a while. I need to figure things out. You need to trust me. Trust that I know what's best for me."
He looked at her, his eyes clouded with confusion. She could see the internal struggle in him, the war between his love for her and the fear that gripped him so tightly.
"You can't leave me like this," he whispered, his voice breaking. "I can't let you."
Addison's heart ached at the sight of him, at the pain in his eyes. She wanted to reach out and hold him, to comfort him, but she couldn't. Not in this state. Not when he was so consumed by fear and obsession.
"Aonmi, please," she said, voice breaking. "You have to let go. For both of us."
For a long moment, they stood there, locked in an intense silence. The forest around them seemed to hold its breath, waiting for something to break.
And then, slowly, Aonmi lowered his gaze. His shoulders slumped, and for the first time, Addison saw him completely exposed. The fierce exterior, the walls he had built up, began to crumble.
"I don't know what to do without you," he whispered, his voice so small it almost didn't sound like him. "I'm scared. I'm scared I'll lose you and never get you back."
Addison's heart twisted. This wasn't the Aonmi she had known, not the one who had once been carefree and full of life. This was someone broken, someone who had been consumed by something darker, something she didn't understand.
"You won't lose me, Aonmi," she said gently, taking another step toward him. "But you have to trust me. You have to trust that I can handle this. I can't be what you want me to be. I have to be who I am."
He stared at her, and for a long moment, it seemed like he was going to argue, to fight her, but then something in his eyes shifted. His shoulders trembled slightly, and he took a step back, as if reluctantly letting go of his hold on her.
"I don't know how to let you go," he whispered, his voice full of pain. "But I'll try. I just don't know if I can."
Addison reached out, her hand trembling as she touched his arm lightly. "You can. You just have to believe in yourself."
He flinched at her touch, but didn't pull away. His eyes met hers, and for a brief moment, it felt like everything was okay. Like they were still the same people they had once been.
But it was fleeting. The darkness in Aonmi's heart was still there, lurking just beneath the surface, and Addison knew it. She couldn't stay with him, not when he was like this. But she couldn't leave him completely, either.
"I'll be okay, Aonmi," she said softly. "I'll always be here for you. But you have to find your own way too."
His expression was unreadable, but he didn't say anything more. Instead, he nodded slowly, as if acknowledging that she had made her decision.
Addison took a deep breath, stepping back. She wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing, if she was making the right choice, but she had to try. For herself. For both of them.
"I'll be back," she whispered, before turning and disappearing into the dark, the sound of her footsteps fading into the night.
Aonmi stood there, alone in the forest, the weight of her absence settling heavy on his shoulders.