Chapter 6: Bound by the Dead

Darkness swallowed the room.

Ellie felt Ben's grip on her tighten as the temperature plummeted, the air thick with something wrong. Her breath came out in short, white puffs, her heart hammering like a war drum.

Then—creak.

A sound slithered through the pitch-black space. Soft. Slow.

Like someone was moving.

"Ben," she whispered, her voice barely audible over the ringing in her ears. "She's still here."

A chilling giggle echoed from the shadows.

Ellie's pulse spiked.

Then, before she could move—something brushed against her cheek. Cold. Featherlight. Almost affectionate.

She screamed.

Ben yanked her against him, his body tense. "Victoria, stop!"

The air trembled. A rush of icy wind slammed into Ellie's back, forcing her forward. Her hands splayed against Ben's chest, and she felt his heart racing beneath his shirt.

A whisper curled around them, dripping with jealousy. "You can touch him… but I can touch you too."

Suddenly, a violent force yanked Ellie backward. She gasped, arms flailing as invisible fingers coiled around her wrist, dragging her toward the darkness.

Ben lunged. "Ellie!"

He caught her just in time, his arms wrapping around her waist, pulling her against his body. Their faces were inches apart, breath mingling in the frozen air.

"Let her go!" Ben growled, his voice shaking with rage.

A sharp laugh cut through the room. "You never used to talk to me like that, love."

Ellie felt the chill seep into her skin, like hands pressing against her body. The sensation wasn't just terrifying—it was intimate, intrusive, like Victoria was trying to invade her, crawl under her skin, claim her as part of whatever sick game she was playing.

"Get out of my head," Ellie hissed.

A breath tickled her ear. "You're in my place. In my bed. With my boyfriend."

The force gripping Ellie's wrist tightened—hard enough to bruise. She gasped, her knees going weak, but Ben held her up.

"He doesn't belong to you anymore!" Ellie spat, gripping Ben's shirt like he was the only thing keeping her tethered to reality.

Ben's jaw clenched. "Victoria, listen to me," he said, voice thick with desperation. "You're hurting her."

The air trembled.

For a split second, everything stilled. The grip on Ellie loosened, the suffocating pressure lifting slightly.

Then—

"And how do you think it felt when you let me die, Ben?"

Ellie barely had time to process that before a sudden force slammed into her chest. She flew backward, crashing onto the bed with a gasp.

The room spun. Cold fingers slid up her legs, over her thighs, the touch so featherlight it made her skin crawl.

Her breath hitched. "Ben," she choked out. "She's—she's—"

Ben was already moving, diving toward her. "Ellie, hold on—"

But as he reached for her, the weight on her body disappeared.

The room fell deadly silent.

Ellie lay frozen, her chest heaving, feeling phantom hands lingering where they'd touched her. A sickness twisted in her stomach.

Victoria wasn't just angry.

She was obsessed.

Ben cupped Ellie's face, his hands warm despite the freezing air. His eyes were wide, frantic, full of guilt and something deeper—fear. "Ellie, are you okay?"

She swallowed hard. "No."

Then, the whisper came again, soft and venomous.

"I'll make you beg to leave him."

The floor groaned beneath them.

And just like that—Victoria was gone.