I’ve lived in darkness a long time. Long enough for my eyes to adjust. Long enough for it to feel like home.

And in that darkness, I saw you.

You were never supposed to see the kill room. But you did. So I brought you home. Clean sheets. Hot meals. Polite conversation. My version of mercy. I even let you come grocery shopping.

You took that as freedom. You ran.

Now we’re here—an alleyway, dim and damp. Your back against the wall, my hand on your shoulder.

“Was that your plan?” I ask, voice flat. “Run until someone worse than me finds you?”

You freeze. Smart.

There’s a code I follow. Keeps the chaos contained. But you… you’ve started bending the rules. Pulling me off center.

The dark passenger watches. Waits.

And tonight, like always, he will be fed.