chapter 4

"I had one free period, so I came to Zizi Café. You stay at the gate, I'll come right now." Talia's voice buzzed in Samira's ears through the phone.

Samira shook her head, a small smile curving her lips. "No, you stay at the café and order coffee for me. I'll be there."

"But Simmi, You alone—"

"Come on, it's just five minutes away. I'll be there before your coffee even cools." Samira spoke while crossing the road with vigilance..

"Okay, I'm ordering... but come fast." Talia sighed as she knew her stubbornness.

Samira ended the call and slipped the phone into her bag, adjusting the shawl draped over her shoulders. The soft breeze carried the aroma of street food and fresh coffee as she took the shortcut through the quiet back lane behind her university. It was usually empty around this time.

But today… Today, something was off.

As she walked past an alley, faint voices floated out—unusual, sharp, and desperate. Her steps slowed. Curiosity prickled at her skin.

She turned her head slightly and peeked in.

There, half-hidden in the alley's dim shadows, stood a group of men.

Her heart thudded while his eyes widened.

A man was on his knees, sobbing and pleading for his life. And in front of him stood someone else… someone whose face was mostly hidden by a shadowed mask. But his eyes—those sharp, glinting hazel-brown eyes—pierced through the dark like a dagger.

Eyes she had seen once before.

"I know I made a mistake, Python!! But I won't repeat it again, ever. Trust me!" the man on his knees cried out, and his voice was broken with fear.

"Python…?" Samira's lips moved silently, mouthing the name in disbelief.

The one called Python didn't even blink. His voice was as calm as a winter storm.

"Once trust is broken…" he said coldly, "…it can't be mended again."

In that moment, he turned his head slightly... Only slightly. But it was enough for his piercing gaze to catch hers.

Samira's breath hitched. She didn't even realize she had stepped into the alley. Her feet were frozen in place. Her eyes, wide with horror weren't on the man who was about to die…

Her eyes were locked on a ring in Python's hand, a snake-shaped ring, wrapped like a serpent around his finger, glinting under the weak alley light.

Then she looked up and her eyes locked with his brown eyes, A chill traced her spine.

Bang.

A single, ruthless gunshot echoed through the alley, and it was python who shot the bullet while his eyes were fixed on Samira.

She flinched so hard, nearly stumbled.

The pleading man collapsed, blood was pooling beneath his head. The shot was right in the center of the forehead.

Now he is dead.. Just like that.

But what sent her blood running cold wasn't just the murder she had just witnessed–It was the fact that Python hadn't stopped looking at her.

Not even for a second.

Her hands turned icy. Her legs refused to move. Her brain screamed at her to run, but her body betrayed her–paralyzed by raw fear.

And then, he moved.

He started walking toward her. Slowly. Deliberately. The alley seemed to shrink with every step he took.

Darla followed behind him, silent, unreadable. But Samira couldn't take her eyes off him. When he stopped, the space between them was no more than three or four steps.

She wasn't even breathing, and He knew it, so that's why the first word he uttered to her was simple.

"Breathe."

His voice was deep, calm, and yet terrifying, but she just stood there, lips parted, eyes glassy.

"I don't like repeating my words." he said, this time icier. "Take a breath."

Tears welled in her eyes from sheer terror. She gasped for air as though suddenly surfacing from deep water.

He took a single step closer, and his hand lifted–almost reaching for her, but She flinched and staggered back instantly.

Something in his expression shifted. He slowly retracted his hand and slid it back into his pocket without touching her.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears. She took deep, panicked breaths, glancing behind at the mouth of the alley, the open street not too far from her.

Could she run?

She took one more cautious breath, hope flickering in her chest, But his smirk stopped her cold. His smirk was hidden under his mask, but his eyes… his eyes gave it away.

He pulled out a small syringe. Samira's brows furrowed.

"What—"

Before she could even utter a single word, he stepped forward and smoothly injected it into her neck.

No warning. No pain. Just a cold touch of metal against skin—and a warm sensation spreading through her body.

Not once did he touch her skin, not even brush against her body.

Her pupils dilated. The world tilted. And then—

Darkness.

Samira was losing her consciousness, her knees gave out as the darkness consumed her, but before her body could hit the ground, Darla stepped forward and caught her just in time.

"What now?" Darla asked, holding the unconscious girl in her arms.

"Send her back safely." Python replied coldly without sparing another glance.

Darla's brows lifted in mild surprise, but she didn't question further. Python had already turned away, his dark figure melting into the alley shadows, as if he was never there to begin with.

 ***----*****----***

Darla brought Samira to Talia's house, Python had already provided her this address.

Norma, Talia's mother, was sitting by Samira's side, gently brushing the girl's hair with trembling fingers, while her eyes were filled with worry.

"I found her collapsed on the road." Darla explained calmly. "I checked her ID and saw that her temporary residency is here. The watchman also confirmed it, so I brought her."

"Thank you so much for helping her." said Herdis Valerie, Talia's father, his voice was full of gratitude.

"Call a doctor, Honey." Norma said, glancing at her husband.

"No need to worry, ma'am. I'm a medical professional." Darla said with a small smile. "I examined her. She just fainted due to stress. Nothing serious."

After ensuring Samira was safe and stable, Darla excused herself and left quietly.

Herdis then picked up the phone and called Talia to inform her about Samira’s condition.

.

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****----*****----****

"What?? You left that girl just like that?" Izan's mouth hung open in disbelief.

"Should've finished her off instead of playing babysitter.!! Rex growled through gritted teeth, frustration flaring in his tone.

Darla shrugged. "I did exactly what Python told me to do."

"What the hell is going on in his head?" Rex muttered, cold fury radiating off him. "I need to talk to him."

 -----***-------

Rex stormed down the hallway and knocked sharply at Python's door.

"Come.." Python's deep voice granted permission from inside.

Rex entered, his jaw clenched. Python was standing silently near his cupboard, back turned, pulling out a shirt.

"You really think it was smart to let her go like that?" Rex challenged, voice low but charged.

Python turned his head slightly, one brow arched. "Are you questioning me?"

"Damn right I am. We can't just leave loose ends like this. What if she talks?"

Python didn't respond immediately. His silence was more commanding than words.

Then Rex again said flatly, "If she opens her mouth… she'll put her own life in danger. And we won't be able to lift a finger to save her."

Python's calmness was eerie. He moved with mechanical grace, unbothered, as if he already predicted the outcome.

Rex let out a breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "Fine. At least let me threaten her. No harm in scaring her a little."

"You won't threaten her life," Python said coldly, eyes narrowing as he pulled on his black shirt. "Only fear... with words."

"Alright, fine! I'll make the call right in front of you," Rex huffed, rolling his eyes as he dialed her number and hit speaker.

The phone rang once… twice…

Then her voice.

"Hello?"

Python paused.

He froze mid-motion, hand halfway buttoning his shirt. Her voice–it was soft, still shaken, like cracked porcelain trying to stay whole.

But then he composed himself, continuing to button his shirt, expression unreadable.

Rex didn't care. He leaned into the call, voice colder than steel. "Whatever you saw today… forget it, girl. Erase it from your memory."

He paused dramatically, his tone dead serious. "That'll be best for you." He ended the call.

Python remained silent, only the faint sound of fabric shifting as he adjusted his black blazer. "You can leave now," he finally said, still not looking at Rex.

Rex nodded and walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.

Python stood in front of the mirror, smoothing his blazer down. His reflection stared back–a tall man clad in shadows and silence.

His eyes were blank.

No anger.

No guilt.

No triumph.

Just an empty, endless desert.

A reflection of the void inside him.

Eyes that once knew warmth… now knew nothing but silence, restlessness, and a bone-deep emotionlessness that couldn't be undone.

He didn't just wear black on the outside.

He was blackness.

.

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****-----******-----****

Night had fallen, casting a quiet stillness over the house.

Samira sat curled up in bed, legs tucked close to her chest, her thoughts spinning like a storm. She hadn't stepped out of her room all day.

Talia's parents had informed her earlier–about how a woman named Darla had brought her home after finding her unconscious. They said she had fainted due to stress.

Samira had simply nodded. It was easier than telling them the truth. She didn't want to worry them. Not when she herself didn't know how to explain what she had seen..

Riiing... Riiing...

Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, pulling her out of the whirlwind inside her head.

She usually never answered unknown numbers. But tonight, her mind was too distracted–too exhausted to think. She reached out and picked up the call without glancing at the screen.

"Hello..." she whispered.

"Whatever you saw today, just forget everything, Girl.. The voice was cold–calculated.

Samira gasped, her eyes widening as fear instantly crawled up her spine. Her hand trembled as she pulled the phone away to look at the screen–an unknown number. Still shaking, she pressed the phone back to her ear.

"That'll be good for you."

Click.

The line went dead. But her heart kept pounding. Loud. Uneasy. Throbbing against her chest like a warning bell.

She wasn't usually this weak. Or this shaken. But today… she had watched a man die.

Not on TV. Not in a movie. Right in front of her. And it was still playing in her mind like a broken film reel that wouldn't stop.

But one thing made her pause–made her doubt.

"That... wasn't the same voice..." she murmured to herself.

She remembered it clearly. The voice of the man who stood in that alley–the one with eyes like shadows and a presence that stilled the air.

"I don't like to repeat my words..."

His voice still echoed inside her head.

Again and again.

"I don't like to repeat my words…"

She clenched the blanket in her fists.

"It means... they all know about me now," she whispered. Her breath came out shaky.

Her thoughts returned to him–to that man. And those eyes. Those haunting, hollow eyes. She had seen them before somewhere...

She looked towards the window. Slowly, as if drawn by some invisible thread, she got out of bed and tiptoed to the curtains. Her fingers brushed the fabric aside.

She peered into the night.

Across the yard, her eyes scanned the neighboring house–the one that had been giving her chills since the day she moved here.

But no one was there. No one watching. No pair of deserted, empty eyes glaring at her from the shadows.

She let out a slow breath and closed the curtains, her shoulders slumping slightly. Then she crawled back into bed, pulling the blanket up to her chin.

"Just... take it as a nightmare, Samira." She whispered to herself, eyes fluttering shut. "Forget everything."

She tried to calm her mind. Tried to sleep. Unaware that in the shadows across the street–

Those eyes were still watching her. But this time... they didn't come into the light. They simply watched.

Silent.

Hidden.

Preferring darkness over exposure.

.

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To be continued

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