Blood in the Silence**
Sam's eyes snapped open.
It was a soft, almost polite knock. Yet in the dead of night, when the soul is most vulnerable and shadows stretch long and merciless, even the gentlest sound strikes like a scream. He lay still for a moment, blinking into the darkness of his dim apartment. Then came the knock again—slightly louder, more deliberate.
Adrenaline rushed through his veins.
He turned his head. Elena was still sleeping on the bed , curled up on the futon, her breathing slow, soft, peaceful. She hadn't stirred. That meant whoever was at the door wasn't there to be friendly.
Sam moved like a shadow himself, rising silently from his spot. He made his way toward the kitchen, his bare feet brushing the cold floor. He reached into the drawer, pulled out the largest kitchen knife he had—cold, steel, sharp. His grip tightened.
Creeping to the front door, he pressed an eye to the peephole.
Nothing. No one.
He held his breath. Waited. Five seconds. Ten. Twenty. Still nothing.
Sam exhaled slowly, his heart pounding. Maybe it was just his imagination. Maybe the tension of the day had messed with his senses. After all, a lot had happened—too much, really.
He turned his back to the door, lowering the knife slightly.
Knock.
Another knock, louder.
His breath hitched. That was real. No mistaking it. He spun back around, the knife once again in ready grip. With every nerve on fire, he slowly turned the knob and cracked the door open just a sliver.
Outside, in the dim hallway, stood a man in a wide black hat. His silhouette was eerily still, and his face was obscured by shadows.
"Hey, kiddo," the man said, voice low and mocking. "You took something that belongs to me."
Kevin.
Sam didn't wait. The fury in him burst forward like wildfire. He lunged.
The door flew open as Sam charged toward Kevin, knife ready, rage surging in his chest. He would not let this monster anywhere near Elena.
Just as his knife was inches from Kevin's chest—
Agony.
A searing pain tore through his back. His body locked up, breath gone. He stumbled.
He looked down. A blade was sticking out of him from behind.
He turned his head slowly, face contorting in disbelief.
Behind him stood another man, shorter, wearing a black hoodie.
Ruddy.
"Kid," Ruddy whispered, voice dripping venom, "today's not your day."
Sam's scream echoed through the hallway.
"You cowards!" he roared, staggering. "Attacking from behind?"
But there was no time to recover. No space for mercy.
Kevin moved fast. Too fast.
He drove his own blade into Sam's chest.
Twice.
A dark red spread across Sam's shirt like ink in water. His knees buckled. The knife slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the floor.
Kevin laughed. A hollow, soulless sound.
"This is what you get when you try to play hero," he sneered. "You should've stayed out of our business."
Sam's cry woke Elena.
Her eyes blinked open. Groggy at first. Then she heard it. The cries. The laughter. The voices.
She sat up. Her gaze locked on the doorway—and her world shattered.
"Sam!" she screamed.
He was on the floor. Bleeding. Two masked figures above him, knives in hand. Monsters. Demons from her past.
Kevin turned toward her, his grin stretching beneath his mask.
"Well, well," he said. "The beauty wakes."
He rushed her.
Elena scrambled back, pressing herself into the futon. Kevin raised the knife to her face.
"Shut up," he said. "One more word, and you won't see another morning."
Elena's voice broke, trembling. "Please… please don't hurt him. Don't hurt Sam. Take me instead. Do whatever you want to me—just let him live."
Kevin's eyes gleamed with cruel delight. "Oh, I plan to. But now you're begging? After everything?"
Ruddy approached from behind, blood on his hands.
"What now?" he asked Kevin. "Do we finish him? Or do we start with her?"
Kevin turned, momentarily distracted.
Elena's eyes darted to the book on the nightstand.
A thick, hardback novel.
Without hesitation, she grabbed it and hurled it at Kevin's hand. The book struck his wrist. The knife clattered to the floor.
"Bitch!" he yelled.
Elena dove for the fallen blade.
Just as her fingers wrapped around the handle, she felt another searing pain.
A knife pierced her side. Ruddy's blade.
Her breath caught. She looked down.
Blood.
Kevin watched, stunned for a moment, as she staggered back.
Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Just a gasp.
Ruddy looked almost surprised at what he'd done.
Kevin's rage boiled over.
"You idiot!" he shouted at Ruddy. "I told you not to kill her yet!"
Elena collapsed to the floor, clutching her side. Her vision blurred, but she could see Sam. Still breathing. Barely.
She had to fight. For both of them.
Kevin moved toward her again, but she kicked at his legs with the last of her strength. He stumbled. She dragged herself closer to Sam, reaching out.
"Sam…" she whispered.
His eyes flickered. He saw her. A smile—painful, but real—touched his lips.
The door was still wide open.
And from outside…
A voice.
"Police! Freeze!"
Flashlights blazed through the hallway. The sound of boots thundered in.
Kevin's face twisted in fury.
"No… no, no, no—"
Ruddy turned to run, but it was too late. Armed officers surged in, guns raised.
"Drop your weapons!"
Kevin lunged for Elena again, but a shot rang out. He collapsed mid-motion, screaming in pain as a bullet tore through his shoulder.
Ruddy dropped his blade and raised his hands, trembling.
Officers rushed to Elena and Sam.
"Stay with us!" one officer shouted, kneeling beside Elena.
"Medic! We need medics!"
Elena's vision darkened. She felt hands pressing against her wound. Voices calling her name.
But she held onto one thing.
Sam.
She reached for his hand.
And he squeezed back.
Then darkness took her.
---
**To be continued...**
.....
📢 Author's Note 📢
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