The Last Light Before Morning

By LIM SHIN PHEY

Chapter 1: The Letter

The rain had been falling for three days without pause. Alya stood by the window, her fingers
tracing invisible patterns across the cold glass. Outside, the world looked blurred, as if someone
had smeared the sky with tears. The streetlights flickered weakly, struggling against the storm.

She hadn’t slept much. Not since the letter arrived.

It was still on her desk—creased, damp at the edges from her hands. She didn’t need to open it
again. Every word had already carved itself into her memory.

“If you’re reading this, I’m already gone.”

Alya closed her eyes. “Stop thinking about it,” she whispered, but the silence of the room only made
her thoughts louder.

The letter was from Daniel. He had disappeared two years ago without a trace. No calls, no
messages, no explanations. Just gone. And now this.

Her hand hovered over the envelope again. “Why now?” she murmured.

Chapter 2: The Journey

The next morning, the rain finally stopped. Alya stepped outside, breathing in the damp air. The
world felt strangely quiet, like it was holding its breath.

She was going to find out what happened.

The letter mentioned a place—a small town she had never heard of. Ravenwood.

The bus ride took six hours. Fields stretched endlessly outside the window. Forests grew denser as
the hours passed. The farther she went, the more disconnected she felt from her old life.

But she didn’t turn back.

Chapter 3: Ravenwood

Ravenwood was smaller than she expected. Only a few shops, a quiet road, and houses that
looked like they hadn’t changed in decades.
That’s when she noticed him.

A man standing across the street, watching her. Not casually. Intentionally.

“Do you need help?” he called out.

“I’m looking for someone,” Alya replied.

“Who?”

“…Daniel.”

The man’s expression shifted. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Chapter 4: The Warning

“This place… it’s not what you think,” he continued.

Alya felt a chill run down her spine. “What happened to him?”

“Not here,” the man said. “Come with me.”

They went to a small café. “My name is Elias,” he said.

“Alya.”

“I know.”

She stiffened. “How?”

“Daniel told me about you.”

Her breath caught.

Chapter 5: The Truth

Elias pulled out a small notebook. “This belonged to him.”

Inside were scribbled notes:

“They’re watching.”

“Something is wrong with this place.”

“Ravenwood isn’t just a town,” Elias said. “It’s a secret.”

Chapter 6: Nightfall

That night, Alya couldn’t sleep. The town was too quiet.

At exactly midnight, the lights went out.

And then she saw them.

Figures moving in the darkness.

Not walking.

Gliding.

“What are they?” she whispered.

“They’re the ones who stayed too long,” Elias said.

Chapter 7: The Forest

The next morning felt unreal.

“We need to find him,” Alya said.

They walked into the forest. The air grew colder. Heavier.

Eventually, they found an abandoned house.

“This is it,” Elias whispered.

Chapter 8: The Encounter

“Daniel?” Alya called.

He stood in the corner. Still. Silent.

When he turned—
His eyes were empty.

“No…” she whispered.

“Alya…” he murmured.

For a moment, something flickered in his expression.

Chapter 9: Escape

“Leave,” Daniel said weakly. “You shouldn’t have come.”

“I’m not leaving you,” Alya replied.

“They’re coming.”

She grabbed his hand. “Then we go together.”

They ran through the forest as shadows chased them.

Chapter 10: Morning

The first light broke through the trees.

The shadows vanished.

Daniel collapsed beside her. Alive.

“You’re not leaving again,” she said.

“Not this time.”

The sun rose slowly.

And everything felt real again.

---

Epilogue

Some places keep their secrets. But some people fight to escape them.
Alya never returned to Ravenwood.

But sometimes, when the night is too quiet—

She remembers.

The wind whispered through the trees, carrying echoes of the past. The wind whispered through the
trees, carrying echoes of the past. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying echoes of the
past. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying echoes of the past. The wind whispered
through the trees, carrying echoes of the past. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying
echoes of the past. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying echoes of the past. The wind
whispered through the trees, carrying echoes of the past. The wind whispered through the trees,
carrying echoes of the past. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying echoes of the past. The
wind whispered through the trees, carrying echoes of the past. The wind whispered through the
trees, carrying echoes of the past. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying echoes of the
past. The wind whispered through the trees, carrying echoes of the past. The wind whispered
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