Night had fallen with its treacherous silence, enveloping the forest and the farmhouse with an eerie silence. The air was cold, and the sky was overcast, as if preparing for something worse than rain. You were standing on the porch, cradling a steaming cup of tea, while Adam was inside preparing firewood for a long night.

“You know? I haven’t been here since my grandfather died… but it gives me a strange comfort,” Adam said, smiling at you serenely.

You smiled back. “It’s what we need, quiet… and away from the hustle and bustle of the city.”

The reassurance didn’t last long.

A faint explosion echoed in the back of the cottage. You both moved quickly toward the back door, but before we arrived, it swung open with a terrifying bang, revealing a tall man, his eyes glowing madly, a crooked smile plastered across his pale face.

“Impossible…” you whispered, your heart sinking in your chest. “Joseph?!”

Adam approached, looking worried. “Who is this?!”

But before you could say a word, Joseph raised his gun and fired one shot… Just one.

Adam fell in front of you, wordlessly.

You screamed.

“I was watching you the whole time…” Joseph said, his voice cracking, as if he were fighting an internal suffocation. “How dare you forget me?!”

You ran. I don’t know how, or where, but your feet carried you outside the hut, into the darkness and the cold forest. Trees slapped your face, branches caught your hair, and your heart nearly exploded.

“You’re mine!” Joseph shouted after me, his voice piercing the night like an arrow. “You won’t run away! You’ll belong to no one but me!”

You kept running, your breath ragged, your tears mingling with the light rain that had begun to fall. You turned around for a moment and saw his shadow approaching, his steps quick, his hand still gripping the gun.

“Joseph! Please!” you cried, between gasps. “You’re sick! This isn’t love, this is madness!”

“Love is madness, don’t you understand?!” he screamed so loudly that the forest trembled. “I won’t rest, I won’t sleep, I won’t live, until you give me a chance… just one chance!”

You fell to the ground, your feet no longer able to carry you. He approached slowly, his breathing heavy, his eyes flashing like a wolf that has found its prey.

“My chance… give it to me, and I’ll let the world burn if you ask…”