Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Zack's pulse raced as he lowered his gun. The creature's words echoed in his mind, but they didn't make any sense. What did it mean? "You are the one who will end this." What was that supposed to imply? He was no closer to understanding the creature, and now, it seemed like it was toying with him, pushing him into a corner.

He kept his eyes locked on the creature, his senses heightened. Something wasn't right. The tension in the air was unbearable, and Zack's instincts told him he was far from the end of this nightmare.

Suddenly, Kyle's voice broke through the thick silence. "Zack! You good?"

Zack didn't turn around, his focus still fixed on the dark mass in front of him. His partner's presence was welcome, but he couldn't afford to let his guard down.

"I'm fine," Zack called back, though his voice betrayed a sense of unease. "Just keep your distance!"

Kyle, undeterred, approached slowly, his flashlight casting an eerie glow across the park. He was cautious but determined, the weight of their shared mission pressing on both of them. They had been through countless investigations together, but this—this was different.

The creature's form wavered, like smoke caught in a breeze, its glowing eyes flickering in and out of focus as it moved. It tilted its head, considering Zack and Kyle, but made no move to attack. Instead, it simply stood there, its jagged silhouette a dark blot against the dim lights of the streetlamp.

"I don't understand," Zack muttered, more to himself than to Kyle. "It's not doing anything. It's like it's... waiting."

Kyle joined him, his footsteps muffled on the gravel. "Waiting for what?" he asked, his voice barely audible.

The question hung in the air for a moment, unanswered, as Zack considered the possibility that they weren't dealing with an ordinary creature. It didn't behave like anything he'd encountered in his years as a cop. It wasn't just a monster—it was a predator, calculating and precise.

Then, as if on cue, the creature's voice cut through the stillness. "I do not wish to harm you," it said, its tone smooth, almost conversational. "But you will not stop me. No one can."

Zack's hand tightened on his gun, but he made no move to fire. There was something chillingly human about the creature's voice. It wasn't an alien, an animal, or an unknown force—it was something more, something that had been here before.

"What do you want?" Zack demanded, keeping his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him.

The creature seemed to consider the question, its eyes narrowing in thought. "I want... what is mine," it finally said. "You humans are so quick to destroy, so eager to forget what was lost. But I remember. I remember the moment she fell."

Zack's stomach twisted at the mention of "she." He glanced at Kyle, who was now staring at the creature with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. It was clear that neither of them understood what the creature meant, but there was an unmistakable sense of history behind its words. History Zack couldn't even begin to fathom.

"You're talking about the girl, aren't you?" Kyle asked, his voice a little shaky. "The one who disappeared... years ago?"

The creature's glowing eyes fixed on Kyle, and for a moment, the temperature in the air seemed to drop. Zack could see his breath misting in front of him, and the ground beneath his feet felt unnaturally cold.

"Yes," the creature responded, its voice growing softer, almost mournful. "The child you all forgot. The one you never found."

Zack's mind raced. The girl—the one they had been searching for all these years—was the key to this creature's existence. That much was clear. But how did it all tie together? And why had the creature been hunting at night? Why had it been terrorizing the city, disappearing people into the shadows?

He had a sinking feeling that the answers he sought were closer than he realized, but the puzzle pieces weren't fitting together. It was like trying to complete a jigsaw with half the pieces missing.

"I don't understand," Zack said, frustration creeping into his voice. "What happened to her? What is it that you want from us?"

The creature let out a low, almost sorrowful sigh. "She was never meant to die. But she was taken from me. From this world."

Zack and Kyle exchanged a look. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. The creature wasn't just some mindless monster—it was a manifestation of something much older, something deeply connected to the girl. And somehow, she had disappeared—vanished into the depths of the creature's reach.

"So, what are you?" Zack asked, his voice barely a whisper. "What is this thing you've become?"

"I am... what remains," the creature replied. "I was once a guardian, a protector. But I was too late. I failed. And now, I am bound to her, bound to her pain. I was forced to watch as they took her from me, and I can never be free until she is."

The words sent a chill down Zack's spine. It was clear now—the creature's existence was tied to the girl, but it wasn't just seeking vengeance. It was seeking something else. Redemption, perhaps? Freedom? Or was it simply too consumed by the girl's loss to ever let go?

"You're saying... you're bound to her?" Zack asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"Yes," the creature answered, its tone filled with longing. "I cannot escape. She is my tether. Without her, I am nothing. Without her, I will be lost to the darkness. She is the key to my release."

Zack felt his heart rate spike again. This wasn't just about terror. This wasn't just about a monster hunting people in the night. This creature had been a protector—maybe once a good being, now corrupted by its own failure, by the loss of the girl. The creature had no choice but to lash out in desperation, unable to come to terms with what it had become.

"And where is she now?" Zack asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

The creature didn't immediately respond. It just stood there, its glowing eyes still locked onto Zack's. Time seemed to stretch, each second dragging out like an eternity.

"She is lost," the creature finally said, its voice laced with regret. "But she is still here... in the shadows, in the very night itself. She is part of me. She cannot leave."

Zack's mind reeled. The girl was still out there. She hadn't died, but she hadn't been freed either. The creature had somehow kept her trapped in its own twisted existence, a prisoner in its darkness.

"We need to end this," Zack said, his voice firm, even as uncertainty gnawed at him. "We can't keep running from this thing. We need to stop it."

Kyle nodded. "But how? We've tried everything."

The creature gave a soft chuckle, the sound grating against Zack's nerves. "You think you can stop me?" it asked, the voice suddenly growing cold, almost mocking. "You cannot. I am beyond your reach."

"Then what's your plan?" Zack retorted, his patience thinning. "We can't just let you keep terrorizing people."

"I have no desire to terrorize," the creature replied, its voice shifting again, as though trying to convince them. "I only wish to find her. To set her free. Once she is free, I will be free."

Zack clenched his jaw. It seemed the creature wasn't just a mindless predator—it was a creature in pain, trapped in a cycle it couldn't escape.

"We'll find her," Zack said finally, his resolve hardening. "We'll find her, and we'll end this. Together."

The creature seemed to study him for a moment, its glowing eyes narrowing. For the first time, there was something resembling understanding in its gaze.

"You do not know what you're dealing with," the creature murmured. "But you will, in time."

Zack nodded, his grip on his weapon tightening. He had no choice but to see this through. The stakes had never been higher.

As he and Kyle turned to leave, the creature's voice followed them, a final whisper in the night.

"You will regret this."