Chapter 57: The Trapped Soul II

The figure lunged, and Ellie's scream tore through the void—but the sound barely escaped before the darkness swallowed it whole.

Cold, bony fingers wrapped around her wrist, pulling her forward. Her pulse hammered in her ears as she yanked her arm back, but the grip was unnatural, relentless—like death itself clinging to her.

"No!" she shrieked, thrashing.

But the more she struggled, the tighter it held on.

A second hand reached for her throat.

I can't breathe—

Her lungs burned, her vision blurred, and just when she thought she was about to be dragged into the abyss forever—

A horrifying screech filled the air.

The grip loosened.

Ellie stumbled backward, gasping, her legs weak.

The shadowed figure convulsed, its form twisting, as if something was ripping it apart from the inside.

And then—

It dissolved.

Like smoke in the wind.

Ellie collapsed to her knees, clutching her chest as she fought to steady her ragged breaths.

She was alive.

But for how long?

Because in the distance, from the suffocating void, more whispers were rising.

And this time, they weren't alone.

Something was watching her.

Something was coming.

And she had nowhere to run.