CHAPTER 5

LIORA “Sweetheart?” Evans called out, his voice echoing through the darkness around me. I spun around frantically, my eyes searching the pitch-black room for him, but the darkness swallowed everything, making it impossible to see where he was. “Liora?” he called again, his voice weaker this time, as though he was struggling to breathe. “Please… help me…” “Evans!” I screamed, panicking as I stumbled through the dark, desperately trying to find him. My heart pounded violently against my chest while sweat poured down my skin. I kept moving, reaching out blindly, hoping my hands would touch him before it was too late. The sweat became heavier, drenching my body until it felt as though someone had dumped a bucket of water over me. Breathing hard, I lifted a trembling hand to wipe my forehead. But the moment I looked at my hand, fear gripped me. It wasn’t sweat. It was blood. The thick crimson liquid streamed down my body, soaking through my clothes and dripping onto the floor beneath me. The metallic scent filled my nostrils, making my stomach twist in horror. Then I heard Evans again. This time, his voice came out as a weak, broken whimper filled with pain. “You killed me.” My eyes flew open. I bolted upright in bed, gasping for air as I quickly looked down at my body. My shaking hands ran over my skin, terrified that I would find blood covering me. But there was none. Only sweat. And thankfully, it was just another nightmare. I shoved the damp strands of hair away from my forehead, my fingers trembling slightly as I tried to steady my breathing. Slowly, I turned my head toward the clock on the bedside table. It was past ten in the morning. For a moment, I just stared at it, unmoving. I was late for work. Under normal circumstances, that realization would have sent me into a rush of panic, scrambling out of bed, grabbing my phone, calling someone, trying to explain myself. But today, strangely, I didn’t react. My body felt heavy, my thoughts slower than usual, and my head hurts, so much as if I’m having a hangover from last night, only I didn’t drink. Last night… My eyes widened slightly as fragments of memory began to push through the fog in my mind. Black Hallow town. I had been there. I was sure of it. And Evans… I saw Evans! I pushed the duvet off my body quickly, sitting up fully now, my heartbeat picking up again. My gaze dropped to my clothes, but I was wearing my nightdress. My brows pulled into a frown. No. That didn’t make sense. I remember what I wore last night. I remember driving into Black Hallow town, the rain, almost running a human over… and Evans. I swung my legs off the bed in a hurry and stood up too fast, dizziness briefly making me sway. Ignoring it, I rushed toward the laundry hamper in the corner of the room, my hands shaking as I pulled it closer and began digging through the pile of clothes inside. My breath became faster with every piece I threw aside. Where is it? If the clothes were damp, then it would mean I wasn’t imagining things. It would mean last night actually happened. That Evans was real and alive. That everything I saw… everything I felt… wasn’t just a cruel trick of my mind. I emptied the hamper completely onto the floor, my movements becoming more frantic. But there was nothing. No sign of the outfit. I froze, staring down at the scattered clothes in disbelief. “Where the heck did it go?” I muttered under my breath. Without thinking further, I turned and hurried out of the room, my bare feet padding quickly across the floor. I moved straight into the closet, my eyes scanning every hanger, every shelf, searching desperately for it. And then I stopped. There, hanging neatly between my clothes, was the outfit. Slowly, I stepped closer. My eyes narrowed in suspicion as I reached out and took it from the hanger. My fingers tightened around the fabric as I lifted it closer, examining it. I ran my hand over it. Dry. Completely dry. No moisture. No stains. Nothing that suggested it had been outside, let alone in Black Hallow town. “Did I dream about the whole thing?” Maybe… it was all a dream. I swallowed hard. I wouldn’t even be surprised at this point if my mind had started blurring the line between what was real and what wasn’t. Before I could think further, the loud ring of my phone filled the room. I flinched slightly. Immediately dropping the outfit back onto the hanger, I hurried out of the closet, moving quickly into the bedroom. My phone sat on the bedside table, vibrating aggressively. I reached for it and picked it up, my eyes already narrowing the moment I saw the caller ID. Mrs. Chloe. A tired sigh escaped me before I could stop it. For a brief second, I considered letting it ring out, pretending I didn’t see it, but I knew better. She wasn’t someone I could ignore, especially if I wanted to keep my job. I swiped the answer icon and lifted the phone to my ear. “Good morning, ma’am.” There was a short pause on the other end. “I am assuming the reason for your absence at work right now is because it was successful.” I blinked slowly, I star-fished the bed as I tried to process her words. A dull pulse still throbbed behind my ear, making it harder to focus. “I wasn’t able to go to Black Hallow yesterday, ma’am,” I said quickly, shaking my head even though she couldn’t see me. I exhaled softly, trying to sound reasonable. “I wasn’t feeling too great yesterday, so I went home after work.” I could already picture her expression changing, the way her face would tighten before she lost her temper. “Have you lost your mind?!” she snapped suddenly, her voice so loud I had to pull the phone slightly away from my ear. “What do you mean by you went home after work?” I went quiet. Didn’t argue. I just held the phone to my ear and waited for her crash out, knowing very well that once Mrs. Chloe started, there was no stopping her until she ran out of breath. “When I spoke to you yesterday evening on a video call, you were already on your way to Black Hallow,” Mrs. Chloe continued, her tone growing more irritated with every word. “So what exactly are you talking about when you say you went home after work yesterday?” My eyes snapped open. I slowly sat upright on the edge of the bed, my grip tightening around the phone. “Wait…” I murmured under my breath, barely hearing my own voice. “Are you saying I actually went to Black Hallow yesterday?” There was a pause on her end, like she was trying very hard not to explode through the phone. Then she scoffed. “Is this your way of telling me you weren’t able to convince the author?” My mind went blank for a moment. Black Hallow. Evans. “No…” I said slowly, almost to myself. “That can’t be right…” I… I actually went to Black Hallow yesterday? “If you do not get your ass to this office in the next thirty minutes so we can talk about how to convince that author to give us a part two, then consider yourself fired!” she shouted before I could say anything else, then ended the call. I lowered the phone slowly from my ear, my hand trembling slightly as it fell to my lap. If I went to Black Hallow yesterday… Then I really did see Evans. And if that really happened… Then why can’t I remember how I got home? Why can’t I remember changing my clothes? Why was the outfit dry?