The man had moved closer.
Lilith stared at the figure across the street, his silhouette barely visible against the dim glow of the streetlights. His coat billowed in the wind, but his face was still hidden beneath the brim of a wide, dark hat.
He never looked away. Not once.
For an hour, she watched him from her apartment window, the pendant still warm in her hand, a faint hum vibrating against her skin. A cold shiver crept up her spine. She hadn't been able to sleep, not since she first saw him the other day, and certainly not after hearing the whisper in the walls.
What did he want?
What did he know?
She swallowed hard and turned away from the window. It was useless. She couldn't stay here, standing frozen and staring at a man who probably didn't even know she existed. But why did it feel like he did? Like he was just waiting for the right moment to show himself, to walk up to her door, and…
And what?
A sudden knock at the door made her jump.
Bang.
Lilith froze.
She hadn't been expecting anyone. Not tonight.
Her heart raced. Could it be him? The stranger, come to finish what he started?
She glanced toward the window still no movement.
Then another knock. Louder this time.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Her breath caught in her throat as she walked slowly to the door, her hand shaking as she reached for the handle. She peered through the peephole.
No one.
The hallway was empty.
Her pulse hammered in her ears. She opened the door anyway, her stomach tightening with dread.
And then she saw the note.
It was small, folded neatly, resting just outside her threshold. There was no name, no address, no explanation. Just a piece of torn paper, the edges frayed from being folded too many times.
She bent down to pick it up, her fingers cold as they brushed against the paper. She unfolded it carefully.
"We are watching. Don't look for us. We are waiting for you to find us."
"You thought the lake ended it, but there is always a beginning where something ends."
Lilith's hand trembled, and she dropped the note before she even realized what she was doing. The words echoed in her mind, their meaning so much darker than they seemed.
The man was gone.
But the hum of the pendant grew stronger.
Lilith stood in the hallway, the words of the note ringing in her head. Who was watching her? What did they want? Why hadn't she seen this coming?
Everything she had thought was left behind in the past the lake, the shadows, the binding it was here again. It was far from over.
Her past wasn't finished with her.
But who, or what, was the real enemy now?
She didn't want to, but she had no choice. She turned around and grabbed the jacket she'd left hanging by the door. Her mind was racing, her pulse quickening, but she knew that she couldn't stay here any longer. She needed answers.
She needed to find out who was behind all of this.
And she had a feeling that this time, it wasn't just about her anymore.
The night was still.
Silent.
Except for the hum of the pendant that now seemed to echo from within her own bones.
And when she stepped outside, she could've sworn she heard a voice.
But this time, it wasn't coming from the walls.
"Lilith…"
It was coming from the dark.