Haunted Past

Chapter 43 - Haunted Past

Mia’s back slammed against the wooden wall of the changing room.

Pain shot through her shoulders, and the impact knocked the breath from her lungs. Before she could recover, a hand locked around her wrist and yanked her arm above her waist.

“Let go of me!”

Panic sharpened her voice. She twisted hard, trying to wrench her wrist free, but the stranger’s grip only tightened. She shoved her free hand against his chest and kicked at his shin.

Nothing.

He barely moved.

Her heart hammered against her ribs.

“Let go!” she shouted again.

Then he spoke.

“Hey, Mia.”

The familiar voice cut through the corridor.

For one terrible second, everything inside her went still.

No.

Please, no.

Her mind scrambled for another explanation. Maybe she had heard him wrong. Maybe fear had twisted a stranger’s voice into something familiar. She clung to that thought as she slowly lifted her head.

Then she saw his face.

The hope vanished.

Her eyes widened, and the blood seemed to drain from her body. Her fingers went numb. A cold tremor ran through her legs until her knees nearly gave out beneath her.

She stopped fighting.

Her mouth went completely dry.

She knew that face.

She had spent months trying not to remember it.

And now he was standing right in front of her.

Danny stepped closer until there was almost no space left between them. Mia could feel the warmth of his body despite the cold fear spreading through hers. His hand remained locked around her wrist, his thumb resting against her pulse as if he could feel how violently her heart was beating.

“I hope you didn’t forget me, did you?”

Mia stared at him, unable to answer.

Her throat felt painfully tight. She wanted to scream. She wanted to call for Mike, for anyone who might be nearby, but the moment she tried to force out a sound, her voice disappeared. It was as if her body had decided that making noise would only make things worse.

Danny watched her reaction with a faint smile.

“You really don’t have anything to say?”

Mia swallowed, but her mouth had gone completely dry. Memories she had tried to bury came rushing back all at once, each one making it harder to think clearly. She remembered the fear, the helplessness, and the feeling of having nowhere to run. She had spent so long convincing herself that she would never have to see him again that seeing his face now felt like being dragged back into a nightmare she had finally escaped.

Her eyes moved toward the end of the corridor.

It wasn't far.

If she could just get past him, she could reach the washroom. There were people outside. Someone would hear her if she screamed loudly enough.

Danny noticed where she was looking.

“You're thinking about running, aren't you?”

Mia's stomach dropped.

He gave a quiet laugh and tightened his grip when she instinctively tried to pull away.

“Don't make this difficult, Mia.”

She looked back at him, her eyes already beginning to sting. She hated that he could still make her feel this small. She hated that fear could take control of her body so easily, even after all this time.

Outside, people continued enjoying the beach without knowing anything was happening only a few meters away. The sound of waves rolled through the open passage, mixed with distant laughter and music. The normality of it made her fear even worse.

There were people everywhere.

And somehow, she had never felt more alone.

Mike sat on the towel near the water, watching the waves move gently toward the shore. The afternoon sun had begun to sink lower, and the heat was finally becoming bearable. A cool breeze swept across the beach, carrying the smell of saltwater and the faint scent of food from the nearby stalls.

He looked toward the ice-cream parlour again.

Mia had said she would be back quickly.

He glanced at his phone and frowned when he saw how much time had passed.

“Why is she taking so long?”

He considered sending her a message, but before he could unlock his phone, something flashed at the edge of his vision.

A faint blue light.

Mike blinked and turned his head.

Nothing was there.

He stared at the empty space for several seconds before rubbing his eyes. The strange sensation was familiar, though he couldn't explain why. For a brief moment, he wondered if the system had appeared.

“System?”

He waited.

There was no response.

Mike frowned and tried again, this time more deliberately.

“System, are you there?”

Still nothing.

He leaned back and looked at the sky, trying to make sense of what had happened. Maybe the bright sunlight had caused him to see something that wasn't there. He had been sitting outside for a while, and the glare coming off the water was strong enough to make his eyes ache.

“I'm imagining things now,” he muttered.

He let it go.

At least, he tried to.

A few more minutes passed.

Mike checked his phone again.

More than fifteen minutes had gone by since Mia left.

His expression slowly changed.

That was too long.

He knew Mia well enough to know that she wouldn't simply disappear without telling him. Even if the shop was crowded, she would have sent a message or called. He opened their conversation and checked the screen.

There was nothing from her.

He called her.

The phone rang.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

No answer.

Mike lowered the phone and looked toward the parlour again.

The uneasy feeling in his chest grew stronger.

“Maybe she left her phone somewhere.”

He tried to convince himself, but the explanation didn't feel right.

He stood up, brushed the sand from his hands, and looked toward the shop.

“I'll just go check.”

He started walking.

At first, there was nothing unusual about his pace. He moved through the crowd, occasionally stepping around people as he made his way toward the ice-cream parlour. But with every step, the feeling that something was wrong became harder to ignore.

When he reached the shop, he looked through the entrance.

Mia wasn't there.

He approached the counter.

“Excuse me. Did you see a red head girl come in here a little while ago? She came to buy ice cream.”

The employee looked at him, thinking for a moment before shaking his head.

“Sorry, I don't remember.”

Mike glanced around the shop once more.

“Are you sure?”

The employee looked toward the back. “There weren't many customers. I don't think anyone matching that description came in.”

Mike's stomach tightened.

He stepped away from the counter and looked around.

Then he noticed the narrow corridor leading toward the washrooms.

Something about it caught his attention.

He couldn't explain why.

Perhaps it was the sudden quiet compared with the noise of the beach. Perhaps it was simply instinct.

He started toward it.

“Mia?”

His voice echoed faintly down the passage.

There was no answer.

Mike walked farther inside.

The sounds of the beach gradually became quieter behind him. His footsteps were the only thing he could hear for several seconds.

Then he stopped.

A muffled sound had come from somewhere ahead.

His brows drew together.

He listened carefully.

There it was again.

It sounded like someone struggling to speak.

Mike's heartbeat quickened.

“Mia?”

This time, he received no answer, but he heard a man's voice a moment later.

The words were too quiet to make out.

Mike moved faster.

As he reached the corner, he heard Mia make a small, frightened sound.

His entire body tensed.

He rounded the corner and saw her.

Mia was pressed against the wooden wall, her face pale and terrified. Danny stood directly in front of her, one hand wrapped tightly around her wrist.

For a moment, Mike simply stared.

His mind registered the scene piece by piece: Mia's frightened expression, the grip around her wrist, the way her body was pressed against the wall, and the man standing far too close to her.

Then Mia looked at him.

The fear in her eyes was unmistakable.

Mike felt something inside him drop.

All the uncertainty he had felt on the way here disappeared. So did every excuse he had tried to make for the strange feeling that had been bothering him.

He understood now.

Something was wrong.

Very wrong.

His hands slowly tightened at his sides as he looked at Danny.

“Take your hand off her.”

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