Tracy – Episode 4
The lights snapped off like a heartbeat stopping.
Darkness swallowed the room.
I sat frozen, heart thundering in my chest. The sudden silence wasn't just quiet—it was heavy. Like something unseen had entered with the night.
Zane was already on his feet.
"Don't move," he said in a low, controlled voice.
He crossed the room quickly, checking the windows, the door, grabbing something from a drawer I couldn't see.
"Is this normal?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.
He didn't answer.
He moved like a soldier. Precise. Focused. Not panicked—trained.
"Zane…" I stood up slowly. "Talk to me. What's happening?"
"Could be nothing," he said. "Or it could be someone tracking your phone."
My breath caught.
He walked over and held out his hand. "Give it to me."
Without question, I handed him my phone. He took it to the kitchen sink, ran water over it, then smashed it with a hammer like it was nothing.
I flinched.
"I needed that."
"You needed to stay alive more," he said without looking at me.
A beat passed.
I sat back down, the adrenaline still crawling under my skin. My heart hadn't slowed down. I could still taste him on my lips—and now I was tasting fear.
He came back and knelt in front of me. The faint moonlight from the windows made his eyes glow silver.
"You're safe," he said. "I promise."
"But you don't believe that," I whispered.
He didn't answer. Just reached for my hand and held it in his, rough and warm.
"There are people who don't want you talking," he said softly. "People who would rather you disappeared quietly."
"Because of Mira?"
"No," he said, looking into me. "Because of who you are. Or maybe who they think you are."
I stared at him, heart slowing, mind racing.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Zane stood, stepped away. For a long moment, he just stared at the wall. When he finally spoke, his voice was different. Hollow. Like he was speaking to the past.
"There's something happening in this city, Tracy. People are disappearing. Not the kind you read about in newspapers. The kind that don't get written about at all."
"What does that have to do with me?"
He turned to me.
"You're not the only one with a target on their back."
Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering came from downstairs.
We both froze.
Zane's eyes locked onto mine. "Stay here. Don't open the door for anyone. Not even me."
Then he slipped through the shadow like smoke.
I was alone.
Again.
Except this time, I didn't feel weak.
I felt awake.