Rehan stepped in front of Areeba, his hand instinctively reaching for his gun.
But he already knew—it wouldn't help.
The figure in the shadows was not human.
Its smile was too wide, its eyes too dark.
A cold whisper slithered through the air.
"You shouldn't have come back."
Areeba's skin crawled. She felt something pulling at her mind, like invisible fingers digging into her thoughts.
Rehan gritted his teeth. "Who are you?"
The figure tilted its head. The movement was slow, unnatural.
Then, it took a step forward.
And the dogs moved with it.
The alley—no, the space where the alley had once been—came alive.
Shadows stretched across the ground, swirling like smoke. The air turned thick, like something was pressing down on them.
Areeba grabbed Rehan's arm. "We need to leave. Now."
But the figure only smiled wider.
"You can't leave," it whispered. "Not until we're done with you."
Then, the ground cracked beneath them.
And the darkness swallowed them whole.