Where the Dark Begins
It was already getting late when Ita left school.
The sky had turned that dull gray,blue that came just before night swallowed everything whole. Most of the students were already gone. The halls were quiet, lockers shut, voices faded into distant echoes.
Kiel had stayed behind for track sign-ups.
Ita didn't wait.
He told himself it was fine. It was just a ten-minute walk. He'd taken it a hundred times before. Head down. Earphones in. Don't look at anyone. Don't give anyone a reason.
He kept his steps steady, hands shoved deep into his pockets, eyes fixed on the cracked pavement ahead.
For a few minutes, it was peaceful.
Just the hum of cars passing. The rustle of wind through dry leaves. The quiet rhythm of his breathing.
Then,
Laughter.
Behind him.
Ita's stomach dropped before he even turned around.
Lucas.
And three of his friends.
They were leaning against the fence near the empty lot across from the street, like they'd been waiting.
Maybe they had.
"well,look who is it" lucas called, pushing himself off the metal bars.
Ita stopped walking.
For a moment, he thought about running.
But he knew better.
Running only made it worse.
"going somewhere?" lucas asked, strolling closer, hands in his pockets like this was just a casual conversation.
Ita didn't answer.
One of the boys snorted. "hes real quiet today"
"always is" lucas said. "creepy, honestly."
They circled him slowly.
Ita kept his eyes down.
"wheres you lil bodyguard?" Lucas asked. "whats his name? Kiel?"
Ita's jaw tightened.
Lucas noticed.
"oh!" he grinned. "so he does matter?"
"leave him out of it" Ita muttered.
The words came out before he could stop them.
The group went silent.
Lucas tilted his head. "you just talked back to me?"
Ita instantly regretted it.
"i didnt-"
The first punch landed hard against his stomach.
Air rushed out of him in a broken gasp as he doubled over.
Another hit followed, this time to his side — right where the bruise already lived. Pain exploded through his ribs. He stumbled, falling to his knees.
The laughter came quick.
Sharp.
Loud.
A kick slammed into his back, sending him forward onto the cold pavement. His palms scraped hard against the ground.
"Thought you were tough now," someone sneered.
A hand grabbed his hair and yanked his head up.
Lucas crouched in front of him, smiling.
"you think youre better than us now??" he said softly. "walking around with you new friend like you forgot who you are?"
Ita didn't respond.
Couldn't.
Blood filled his mouth, metallic and warm.
Lucas slapped him across the face. "answer me."
" i didnt forget" Ita whispered, voice shaking.
Lucas stared at him for a moment.
Then he smiled wider.
"Good."
Another punch.
This one sent stars bursting across Ita's vision.
The world tilted. Sounds blurred. Pain throbbed everywhere , his ribs, his jaw, his head. Someone kicked his leg out from under him. Someone else shoved him hard enough that his shoulder hit the ground.
He stopped trying to protect himself.
Stopped trying to get up.
It would end faster that way.
It always did.
"pick him up" lucas said finally.
Rough hands grabbed Ita under the arms, dragging him to his feet. His legs barely worked. His head hung forward. Everything spun.
"lets show him something" one of the boys said, grinning.
"yeah" lucas replied. "since he likes being out late so much"
They dragged him down a side road he didn't recognize.
Past the streetlights.
Past the last row of houses.
The air grew colder the farther they went.
The pavement turned to cracked gravel. Weeds pushed through the ground. The sounds of traffic faded until there was nothing left but the crunch of their footsteps and Ita's uneven breathing.
Up ahead, a building stood in the dark.
Old.
Broken.
Windows shattered. Walls stained black with age. The metal gate hanging open like a mouth.
Ita's heart started pounding harder.
Everyone knew about this place.
No one came here.
Not at night.
"please" he managed, voice barely there.
Lucas laughed." What u scared?"
One of the boys pushed him forward. " its just an empty building"
But it didn't feel empty.
Even from outside, something about it felt… wrong.
Cold wind slipped through the broken windows, making a low, hollow sound that almost sounded like whispering.
They dragged him through the gate.
Across the overgrown yard.
Inside.
The air smelled like dust and something damp and rotten. The floor creaked under their feet. The hallway stretched long and dark, with rooms on either side, doors hanging crooked on rusted hinges.
Ita felt it the second he crossed the doorway.
That feeling.
Like being watched.
Like the walls themselves were breathing.
"Leave him here" lucas said.
They shoved Ita hard. He collapsed onto the floor, pain tearing through his ribs.
For a moment, no one moved.
Then lucas crouched beside him again.
"you should be more careful walking home alone hahaha!" he said quietly.
"Have fun sleeping here"
A final shove.
Footsteps retreating.
Laughter fading.
And then,
Silence.
The kind of silence that didn't feel empty.
It felt full.
Ita lay there, barely able to move, every breath sharp and painful. Blood dripped slowly from his lip onto the dusty floor.
Somewhere in the building, something creaked.
Not from the wind.
From movement.
Ita froze.
He wasn't alone.
A faint sound echoed down the hallway.
Soft.
Dragging.
Like footsteps that didn't quite touch the ground.
Ita lifted his head, vision blurring.
And for a split second,
At the far end of the corridor,
He thought he saw someone standing there.
Still.
Watching.
The dark wasn't empty after all.
And whatever lived inside it,
Had just noticed him.