Midnight,chapter 1
Rain poured relentlessly over the empty streets, turning the entire city into a blur of shadows and silver lights.
In the distance, the old clock tower struck midnight.
At this hour, the city's noise usually faded into silence.
But tonight...
The silence felt heavier than usual.
As if the darkness itself was hiding a secret.
A young woman hurried down the deserted street.
Her phone was tightly clutched in her hand.
A warning flashed across the screen.
1% Battery.
She unlocked it.
No Signal.
Only an old reminder remained.
Reach Home.
She let out a quiet sigh and slipped the phone back into her pocket.
Raindrops rolled through her hair and disappeared beneath the collar of her coat.
The sound of her heels echoed against the wet pavement.
Tap... Tap... Tap...
Then...
She stopped.
Another set of footsteps had joined the rhythm.
Slow.
Calm.
Measured.
Not hurried.
Not hesitant.
As though whoever was following her already knew she had nowhere to run.
She held her breath.
The footsteps stopped as well.
For a brief moment...
There was nothing except the rain.
And the rapid beating of her heart.
Slowly...
She turned around.
Beneath the flickering streetlight stood a tall figure.
A black coat soaked by the rain.
Its face hidden in darkness.
But one detail stood out with chilling clarity.
White gloves.
Her throat tightened.
"Who are you?"
Her voice trembled.
The man remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he spoke in a calm, almost gentle voice.
"Do you know what people's greatest habit is?"
She said nothing.
"They love believing they're good people."
"Everyone sees themselves as the hero of their own story."
The streetlight flickered once again.
"But the truth..."
He paused.
"...doesn't belong to anyone's story."
She slowly stepped backward.
"I don't know what you want."
The man simply watched her.
As if he wasn't listening to her words...
But reading the fear behind them.
"That's what everyone says."
Her breathing became uneven.
"Please... let me go."
Silence.
Only the rain answered.
Then he spoke again.
"Everyone believes they have time."
"But some decisions..."
"...can never be taken back."
She quickly pulled out her phone and tried to make an emergency call.
The screen flickered.
Then went black.
The battery had died.
"No..."
Her voice cracked.
The man slowly reached inside his coat.
She instinctively took another step back.
Thunder exploded across the sky.
The rain fell even harder.
"Don't worry."
His voice remained calm.
"Tonight..."
A brief silence followed.
"...you will finally learn the truth."
She couldn't move.
Lightning illuminated the street for a single heartbeat.
And then...
Darkness returned.
The figure was gone.
Only the rain remained.
Lying on the wet pavement...
Was a brand-new pair of white gloves.
A signature.
A message.
A warning.
But she never realized...
Behind the closed window of an abandoned building across the street...
Someone had witnessed everything.
A frightened breath.
A silent pair of eyes watching from the darkness.
The curtain slowly closed.
By morning...
The city would awaken to a case that would shake the Homicide Division.
An unknown victim.
A mysterious killer.
And a name...
Still hidden in the shadows.
Chapter End
