Midnight came quickly.
Adrian stood at the edge of the forest, looking down at the path that led to the old train tunnel. He hadn't been there in years. The place had been shut down after a landslide blocked the far end. People said it was dangerous. Others said it was cursed.
He held the silver pendant in his hand, the note from Eva still fresh in his mind:
"Meet me at the old train tunnel. Midnight."
His breath was visible in the cold night air. Fog crept through the trees like slow-moving shadows. The full moon glowed through breaks in the branches.
Adrian started walking.
Every step felt louder than it should.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
The forest was still. The kind of still that made you feel like you were being watched. But he didn't stop. He couldn't. Eva might be out there. Waiting.
The path narrowed, and the trees grew thicker. Then, suddenly, it opened.
There it was.
The tunnel.
A giant mouth carved into the side of a rocky hill. The entrance was covered in vines and old signs that warned, "Keep Out." But those signs meant nothing to Adrian now.
He stepped closer.
"Eva?" he called out, his voice echoing off the stone walls.
No answer.
He pulled out his flashlight and turned it on.
The beam cut through the darkness, revealing rusted tracks, broken stones, and an old lantern lying on its side.
He stepped inside.
The air was colder here. Heavy. Each step echoed off the walls.
"Eva?" he called again.
Still nothing.
Then he saw it.
A flicker of light deeper inside.
He moved quickly, his footsteps careful.
The tunnel turned slightly, and when he rounded the curve—
He stopped.
There, in the distance, was a small candle. And beside it, sitting quietly on the ground…
A figure.
Wrapped in a dark shawl.
Head down.
His heart raced.
He stepped closer.
The figure didn't move.
Finally, he spoke.
"Eva?"
The figure slowly raised her head.
But it wasn't her.
It was a young woman — maybe in her twenties — with long dark hair and sad eyes.
"You're not Eva," he said, confused.
She nodded slowly. "No. But I'm here because of her."
Adrian stepped back a little. "Who are you?"
"My name is Mila," she said softly. "Eva saved me once. And now I'm trying to return the favor."