Chapter 2

The Stranger at the Door

Daniel stood frozen. The apartment was completely dark except for the occasional flash of lightning outside his window. The mysterious voice beyond the door was calm, almost patient, but something about it sent a chill down his spine. His heartbeat pounded in his ears. The stranger knocked again. Knock... Knock... "Mr. Walker," the voice repeated. "Please... I don't have much time." Daniel slowly reached for the baseball bat leaning against the wall beside the umbrella stand. It was old, covered in dust, and probably the only thing he could use to defend himself if things went wrong. He moved carefully toward the door, every step heavier than the last. His hand rested on the doorknob. "Who are you?" he asked through the door. Silence. Then... "I'm someone who owes Emma my life." Daniel's grip tightened. Emma. Again. How could this stranger know her name? "Prove it." There was another brief silence before the stranger slipped something beneath the door. Daniel bent down and picked it up. His breath caught. It was a silver necklace with a tiny moon-shaped pendant. He knew it instantly. Daniel had given that necklace to Emma on her nineteenth birthday. She had promised never to take it off. No one else should have had it. Slowly, he unlocked the door. The hallway was dimly lit by a flickering emergency light. Standing there was a man in his late fifties, dressed in a dark coat soaked by the rain. His face was marked with old scars, and a grey beard covered most of his jaw. Despite his rough appearance, his tired eyes carried no hatred. Only fear. "You..." Daniel whispered. The man nodded slightly. "My name is Samuel." "Where did you get this necklace?" Samuel looked over his shoulder before stepping inside. "Close the door." Daniel hesitated. "I said close it," Samuel repeated firmly. Without knowing why, Daniel obeyed. The old man immediately walked to the window and pulled the curtains shut. "They're watching." Daniel frowned. "Who's watching?" Samuel didn't answer. Instead, he removed a folded map from inside his coat and placed it on the table. On the map, one location had been circled in red. Blackwood Lighthouse. "The letter told you to meet there tomorrow night," Samuel said. Daniel stared. "How do you know about the letter?" "Because I delivered it." The room fell silent. "You?" Samuel nodded. "I promised Emma that if anything happened to her... I would find you." Daniel felt as though the ground beneath him had disappeared. "Emma is alive?" Samuel closed his eyes. "I can't answer that." "You can't—or you won't?" "They're not the same thing." Daniel slammed his fist onto the table. "For ten years I've searched for answers! Now everyone suddenly knows her name except me!" Samuel remained calm. "If I tell you everything now... neither of us will survive the night." A loud screech echoed from outside. Both men turned toward the window. A black SUV had stopped across the street. Its headlights were off. Three figures stepped out. Each wore a long black coat. None of them spoke. Samuel's face turned pale. "They found me." Daniel looked outside. "Who are they?" "The people who erased Emma from the world." Before Daniel could ask another question, the front door exploded inward with a deafening crash. Wood splintered across the floor. A masked man stormed into the apartment. Another followed behind him. Samuel shoved Daniel toward the kitchen. "Run!" Daniel didn't move. The first attacker charged. Samuel swung a chair into him, knocking him backward. "Go!" Samuel shouted. Daniel finally ran through the back exit into the rain. Behind him, he heard shouting... Glass breaking... A gunshot. Then silence. He wanted to turn back. Every instinct told him to help Samuel. But Samuel's final words echoed in his mind. "Go to Blackwood Lighthouse. Midnight. Don't trust anyone." Daniel disappeared into the storm, clutching Emma's necklace tightly in his hand. Behind him, flames began to rise from his apartment window. Someone wasn't just trying to scare him anymore. Someone wanted every secret to burn. End of Chapter Two