Chapter 13 - Chapter Thirteen:The Truth She Should Have Told Me

"You're already letting me stay." The words didn't echo this time. They settled. Inside me. Like something had finally found where it belonged. I couldn't breathe right. Not because of the thing inside me— But because of what it meant. Nyra was still holding onto me. Tightly. Like if she let go… I'd disappear completely. "Look at me," she said. Her voice wasn't steady anymore. Not like before. It was breaking. "Shawn, listen to me. You're still here. I can still feel you." I let out a weak laugh. It didn't sound like mine. "Can you?" I asked. She froze. And that was all I needed to see. Because the truth was already there. She wasn't sure anymore. And that— That hurt more than anything that thing inside me had done. "Say it," I whispered. "Say you're sure." Silence. Her lips parted slightly. But no words came out. Behind her— The other me smiled. "There it is." "Shut up!" I snapped, my voice cracking. "I'm not talking to you!" "You always are." "STOP!" My head throbbed violently again, but I didn't care. Not this time. Because something else was rising. Something stronger than fear. Anger. I looked back at Nyra. Really looked at her. My vision blurred slightly, like my eyes were straining. "You knew," I said. My voice was low. Dangerous. Her eyes widened. "Shawn—" "No," I cut her off, my voice sharper now. "Don't lie to me. Not now. Not when I can feel it tearing me apart." Her grip on me tightened again. But this time— It didn't feel like protection. It felt like guilt. "I was trying to protect you," she said. I laughed again. Bitter. Broken. "Protect me?" I repeated. "From what? From the thing that's literally inside me right now?!" She flinced. And that was it. That was the moment everything shifted. Because she didn't deny it. "You knew," I said again, softer this time. More dangerous. She looked away. And in that single movement— Something inside me cracked completely. "Finally," the voice whispered. "What didn't you tell me?" I asked. My voice wasn't loud. Didn't need to be. It was heavy. Demanding. Nyra's breathing became uneven. Her hands slowly loosened from my arm. "I didn't think it would find you this fast," she said quietly. That wasn't an answer. "What. Didn't. You. Tell. Me." Each word sharper than the last. Behind her, the other me leaned casually against nothing, watching like this was all entertainment. "Ask her the right question," it murmured. I ignored it. "I met you," I said slowly, "and everything changed." My chest tightened. "The shadows. The whispers. The feeling that something was watching me…" I swallowed hard. "That wasn't random… was it?" Nyra closed her eyes. And that was my answer. "No…" I breathed. Stepping back slightly. My muscles were coiled tight, like I was ready to snap. "No, don't do that… don't tell me this is because of you…" "I didn't choose you!" she snapped suddenly. The words hit like a slap. Silence. Even the thing inside me paused. "What…?" I whispered. Nyra's chest rose and fell rapidly. Like she had just said something she couldn't take back. "I didn't choose you," she repeated, quieter now. "I was watching someone else." My heart dropped. My fingers curled into fists so tight they hurt. "What are you talking about…?" Her eyes met mine again. And this time— There was no hiding it. "I've been tracking it," she said. "For a long time. It doesn't just appear. It attaches. Slowly. Carefully. It studies people before it chooses them." The world around me felt distant again. Not because of the entity. Because of her words. "And you knew that?" I asked. My voice was trembling with restraint. "Yes." "And you still came near me?" She hesitated. And that hesitation— It said everything. "You were already reacting to it," she said. "Before I even approached you. I thought… I thought I could stop it before it fully connected." A hollow feeling spread through my chest. My breaths were coming short. "So I was just… what?" I said quietly. "A case?" "No—" "A target?" "Shawn, listen—" "A mistake?" "STOP!" she shouted. Silence crashed down again. Her voice broke. "I stayed because you fought it," she said, tears forming in her eyes now. "Do you understand that? Most people don't even notice it until it's too late. But you—you resisted from the beginning." I shook my head slowly. My vision was narrowing, like I was tunneling. "That doesn't change the fact that you knew," I said. Her tears fell now. But I didn't feel anything. Not anger. Not sadness. Just… empty. And that scared me. "And you didn't tell me," I finished. Behind her— The other me smiled wider. "She needed you just like I do." That sentence— That one sentence— It broke something in me. Because it felt true. "You used me," I said. My voice was flat. Nyra stepped forward quickly. "No! I was trying to save you—" "You didn't even give me a choice!" I shouted. The shadows around us pulsed violently. Reacting. Feeding. "I could have walked away," I continued. My words were coming faster now. "I could have never gotten involved in this—this thing—" I pointed to myself. "But you stayed. You watched. You waited." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I was afraid…" "Of what?" I snapped. She looked straight at me. "Of what would happen if I was too late." Silence. And this time— It wasn't the entity that filled it. It was the truth. Because deep down— I knew what she meant. And that scared me more than anything. "I am too late," she whispered. The words barely reached me. But they landed. Hard. Because she wasn't saying it like a possibility. She was saying it like a fact. And inside me— The thing stirred again. Stronger. Warmer. Closer. "You see it now," it whispered. I closed my eyes slowly. Not to fight it. Not this time. Just to breathe. And when I opened them again— Something had changed. Not outside. Inside. Because the pain wasn't just from the thing anymore. It was from her. And that made it worse. Much worse.