CHAPTER 28 — CONTINUED
THE BREATH IN THE DARK
Lena's pulse hammered in her ears as she stared down the dim stretch of shelves. For a moment, she thought she saw movement—something small, a ripple of shifting shadow—but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
Elias followed her gaze.
"Stay close to me," he murmured.
She couldn't even argue. Her body stepped toward him automatically, drawn to the only anchor she had left. Elias positioned himself slightly in front of her, his posture sharp, protective, alert. The quiet hum of the library suddenly felt too loud, like the building itself was listening.
"Let's go to the front desk," Elias said. "We'll call campus security."
Lena swallowed hard. "If we leave… what if they're still here?"
"Then they won't follow us into the open." His tone was steady, but she felt the tension in him — a tight coil ready to snap if anything threatened her.
They started walking.
Each step felt like moving through thick fog. The shelves towered over them like watchful giants, the overhead lights flickering just enough to feel ominous. Lena kept glancing behind her, terrified she'd see someone standing only inches from where she had been. Her eyes searched every corner.
Then her phone buzzed again.
Elias stopped instantly, turning toward her with a sharp intake of breath.
"What is it?" he asked.
Lena didn't answer at first. She was frozen, the new message glowing back at her.
**Turn around.**
Her blood turned cold.
Elias gently took the phone from her hand and read it, his jaw tightening with a flash of anger she had never seen on him before. Violent anger. Protective anger.
When he looked up, his voice dropped to a low whisper.
"Lena… whatever happens, don't look behind you."
Her breath hitched. "Why? What do you see?"
He shook his head, eyes scanning the aisle behind her. "Just trust me. We're walking out. Right now."
But before they could move, there was a soft sound.
A soft, unmistakable sound.
A quiet inhale.
Someone breathing.
Right behind the next shelf.
Lena clamped a hand over her mouth. Elias stepped in front of her again, positioning himself like a shield. His hand brushed her wrist, grounding her, silently saying: *I'm here. I'm not letting anything touch you.*
Another soft breath broke the stillness.
Then a whisper floated through the narrow aisle.
"Lena…"
Her entire body went rigid.
It wasn't Maya's voice.
It was someone else.
Male.
Young.
Too familiar.
Elias stiffened.
He recognized it too.
She finally dared to whisper, "O-Oliver?"
And then, from behind the shelf, he stepped out into the aisle.
Oliver Reese.
The quiet boy from her philosophy class. The one who used to sit two rows behind her. The one who always looked away too quickly when she caught him staring. The one who approached her once, years ago, pretending to ask about a book.
His eyes were wide, almost glowing in the dim light. His clothes were rumpled, his hair messy, and there was something trembling in his hands — not fear, but excitement.
"I knew you'd find the message," Oliver said softly. "You always listen so well."
Elias positioned himself directly between them. "Stay where you are."
Oliver barely acknowledged him. His gaze was locked on Lena with a devotion that made her stomach twist.
"You shouldn't be with him," Oliver whispered. "He's confusing you. I'm the one who's been here. Watching. Helping. Protecting."
Lena felt her heart drop, like falling down an endless staircase.
"You… you sent the messages?"
Oliver's face softened, almost bashful. "Of course I did. You needed guidance. You needed someone who understood you."
She shook her head, trembling. "But Maya—"
"Oh, Maya?" Oliver laughed quietly. "She was obsessed with you. Easy to use. Easy to provoke. But she's gone now." He took a slow step forward. "And you're finally mine to—"
"Back up," Elias snapped, voice low and furious.
Oliver smiled at him. "You're in my way."
Everything happened in one breath.
Oliver reached into his jacket. Elias grabbed Lena's arm. Lena froze, terror slicing through her like a blade. The world tilted.
Then—
A shout from across the room.
A flashlight beam.
Footsteps pounding toward them.
Campus security.
Oliver's head jerked toward the noise. His face twisted — not in fear, but in frustration. He took one step back, then another.
"Lena," he whispered, voice shaking with emotion. "Don't worry. I'll come back for you. This isn't over."
And before anyone could stop him—
He ran.
Vanishing deeper into the building, swallowed by the maze of shelves.
Security chased after him, radios blaring.
Elias immediately pulled Lena close, holding her like she might shatter if he let go.
"You're safe," he murmured, over and over. "You're safe. I'm here."
But Lena couldn't breathe.
Because the realization hit her with terrifying clarity:
Maya wasn't the only one.
She was never the only one.
Someone else had been watching her long before the rooftop.
Long before the messages.
Long before Maya ever spiraled.
Oliver had always been there.
And now he was loose.
Still watching.
Still wanting.
Still promising to return.