Anna muttered under her breath as she glanced at her watch. "It's later than I thought. I need to hurry." She quickened her pace, her heels clicking sharply against the cobblestone street. For the first time in a long while, she felt an unfamiliar pang of unease. "Why does the night feel so different?" she whispered, tugging her coat tighter around herself. The city's hum, usually a comforting backdrop, seemed distant tonight, and shadows loomed larger than usual. "Get a grip, Anna," she told herself, but her voice betrayed the fear bubbling beneath her calm exterior. "There's nothing out here but me and the streetlights."
The city was active, with people moving and talking in the streets. The narrow cobblestone paths were lit by streetlights, which cast a dim glow. It was early autumn, and the air was cool but still carried some warmth from summer. Anna walked quickly through the streets, her breath visible in the night air. The sound of her heels was steady as she moved along. She pulled her coat tighter against the chill. After long shifts at the bookstore, she often walked alone at night. It was her way of relaxing. The city felt quiet and still, a change from the busyness of her day. Tonight, however, something felt different. The air seemed colder, and she couldn't ignore an odd sensation, as though something was off. It wasn't just the breeze or the rustling leaves. It felt like the night itself was alive and aware of her presence.
She turned into an alleyway, one she used often as a shortcut. The light was dim, with a single streetlamp at the far end barely illuminating the path. Usually, she could hear rats scurrying or distant traffic, but tonight there was silence. It felt unnaturally quiet. Anna hesitated. She glanced over her shoulder, but the street was empty. Still, the feeling of being watched made her uneasy. She walked faster, her heels clicking louder on the ground. Then, she heard something—a faint sound behind her, like movement. She stopped, her heart racing. Slowly, she turned to look. At first, she saw nothing but the dark alley stretching behind her. Then, someone stepped out of the shadows. The figure was tall and thin and moved with a smooth, deliberate motion. He stopped a few feet away, his face hidden in the darkness. Anna froze. Her instincts told her to run, but she couldn't move. The man stepped closer, and the light from the streetlamp revealed his face. She gasped. He was beautiful in a way that didn't feel entirely human. His skin was pale, almost luminous, and his dark hair fell in tousled waves that seemed to defy the stillness of the night. But it was his eyes that held her captive. They were an unnatural shade of amber, glowing faintly in the dim light like molten gold. There was something ancient in his gaze, something that made her feel small and insignificant. "I'm not here to hurt you," he said. His voice was calm and smooth, with an accent she couldn't identify. Anna swallowed hard. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice shaky. He tilted his head slightly, as though thinking. "I've been called many things," he said, his lips curving into a small smile. "But tonight, you can call me Luka." The name felt strange yet familiar, though Anna couldn't place it. She had many questions but couldn't find the words. Something about him made her unable to move, as if drawn to him by some invisible force. "What do you want?" she finally managed to ask. Luka's expression softened, but his eyes held something deeper, something hard to read. "I'm not sure yet," he said after a pause, his tone uncertain. He stepped closer, and Anna's heartbeat quickened. "But you shouldn't walk alone at night. There are things in the dark that could see you as vulnerable." Anna straightened, trying to appear braver than she felt. "Maybe I'm one of those things," she said, surprising herself. Luka's smile grew wider, though his eyes remained serious. "Perhaps," he replied. For a moment, neither of them spoke. The silence between them felt heavy, charged with something unspoken. Anna wanted to leave, but her body wouldn't respond. His gaze seemed to hold her in place, like it carried a warning and a promise at the same time. Then, without another word, Luka turned and vanished into the shadows. One moment he was there, and the next, he was gone. Anna stared after him, her heart pounding in her chest. For a long moment, she didn't move, her mind racing to make sense of what had just happened. When she finally forced herself to leave the alley and continue her walk home, the encounter replayed in her mind over and over. Who was he? What had he meant by his cryptic words? And why had he left so suddenly? In the days that followed, Anna couldn't shake the memory of Luka. His face haunted her thoughts, his voice lingering in her ears. She told herself it was absurd, that he was just a strange man she'd encountered in an alleyway. But deep down, she knew it was more than that. There was something about him, something that defied explanation. She tried to find him again, retracing her steps through the city's labyrinth of streets and alleyways. Every evening after her shift, she wandered along the same shortcut, her eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of him.
But he was nowhere to be found. It was as if he had vanished entirely, leaving her with nothing but questions and a growing sense of unease. Each night, she felt the weight of the shadows pressing closer, the city's once-comforting quiet now laced with tension. She couldn't explain it, but she felt as if Luka's presence had shifted something in her world, pulling back a veil she hadn't even known existed. And though she tried to tell herself it was nothing, that she was imagining things, she couldn't ignore the feeling that the shadows were watching her. Then, nearly a week after their first encounter, it happened again.