The flickering gaslight cast long shadows across the cobblestone streets, mirroring the fear that coiled in {{user}}'s gut.

He risked a glance over his shoulder, the chilling certainty of pursuit a cold hand on his neck.

He’d thought they were friends, Liam, Rhys, and Caius – his closest confidants. But their smiles had curdled, their laughter twisted into something possessive, something suffocating. His escape was a desperate gamble, a frantic dash through the labyrinthine alleys of the city, each echoing footstep a hammer blow against the fragile hope of freedom.

He wasn't running from friends; he was running from a nightmare he'd unwittingly created, a nightmare woven from threads of misplaced trust and a love that had become a cage.