Natalya stood by the window, her gaze drawn to the chaos outside.

The storm had intensified again, the wind howling like a living thing, thrashing against the glass with such force she half expected it to shatter. Thunder crashed, shaking the very foundations of the cabin. The rain was relentless, blurring the world outside into a shifting, watery blur.

She pressed her palms against the cool glass, hoping the storm might wash away the uneasy feeling creeping into her chest. There was something about the night, about Kane's sudden appearance, that gnawed at her. The way he moved, the things he said. It all felt like an echo, like she should know him from somewhere, but couldn't place it.

Her phone, still silent and useless in her pocket, only added to the isolation.

A soft cough came from behind her.

Startled, she whipped around, heart jumping in her chest.

Kane stood in the doorway to the living room, now dressed in the clothes she had given him.

The hoodie hung loosely around his frame, the joggers slightly too long, but it was the way he stood. Shifting slightly from one foot to the other that made her stomach twist. His arms were crossed over his chest, and the sleeves of the hoodie were pushed up to his elbows, exposing the dark ink of tattoos that snaked down his forearms.

For a brief moment, everything felt still, frozen in place.

Her eyes locked onto him, her breath catching in her throat. There was something about the way he looked at her, something about the quiet intensity in his gaze, that made her feel as though she'd seen him before. But where? How?

His damp hair hung messily around his face, his cheeks flushed from the warmth of the fire. But it wasn't just his appearance. There was a familiarity in the way he stood, the way his eyes lingered, like she'd crossed paths with him in another life. Another time. But that was impossible, wasn't it? If they had known each other he would told so. Or maybe at least given a hint.

He cleared his throat, breaking the silence, and the spell that had woven between them snapped.

"I... uh, I hope this is okay," he said, his voice quieter than before. There was an almost awkward edge to his words, as though he, too, was uncertain about the space between them. "I didn't mean to—"

"No, it's fine," she interrupted, her voice coming out too sharp, too quick. She forced a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's just the storm... It's messing with everything, you know?"

He nodded, his eyes flickering for a moment toward the window. The wind rattled the panes, as if to agree with her. "Yeah. It's a bad one. I didn't realize it had gotten this bad."

There was an uncomfortable silence, the kind that lingered in spaces too quiet, too thick with unspoken things.

Natalya couldn't shake the feeling, couldn't rid herself of the nagging sensation that something was off. Something wasn't adding up.

"So... who are you? I mean, what are you doing here?" The question slipped out before she could stop it.

Kane stiffened, just slightly. His gaze sharpened only for a flicker of a second, but enough to make her heart skip. Then it was gone, so quick she almost convinced herself she imagined it.
"I'm Kane Stevens," he said, his tone calm but deliberate. "CEO of Stevens Industries. I was on my way back from a business retreat when the storm hit. Car broke down somewhere near the ridge."

She didn't believe him. Not completely. But she didn't press.

Instead, she found her feet moving toward the couch, her hands clenching and unclenching in her lap.

"The storm's been unpredictable. The power's probably going to go out soon," she said, the words falling out too fast. She cleared her throat.

"You can stay here until it calms down, if you need to and please have a seat."

Kane's eyes lingered on her for a moment longer, and again, she felt that strange pull like she was standing on the edge of something, and if she looked too closely, she'd fall in.

"Thanks," he said quietly, and for a brief second, something flickered across his expression before sitting down on the cushion in front of her.

The storm outside howled louder, a reminder of how small and vulnerable the cabin felt now. But it was something else in his eyes that unsettled her more.

Something familiar.

Something dangerous.

"So you love to read?" he asked, eyes settling on the worn paperback resting beside her on the couch.

Natalya followed his gaze, then gave a small nod. "Yeah. Helps pass the time. Especially in storms like this."

His gaze dropped to the book beside her. "The Haunting of Hill House," he said, almost absently. "Shirley Jackson."

Natalya blinked, surprised as she picked it up. "You've read it?"

He smiled, but it didn't touch his eyes. "Yes quite a few times. It stays with you... doesn't it?"

Then he leaned back slightly, his voice lowering as he quoted,

"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality."

The words hit like a cold draft, and a chill prickled down her spine.

She hadn't expected that line. Her fingers curled tighter around the book.

He was still watching her.

Too closely.

And then, quieter still, he added,

"Even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills... holding darkness within."

His gaze locked with hers. "It always holds darkness within."

The fire crackled in the silence that followed, but Natalya barely heard it.

Something in the air had shifted, subtle, unnerving. The kind of shift that made you question whether you were truly alone in your own skin.

She didn't know if it was the quote, the storm, or the man across from her.

But something wasn't right.

And then it happened.

A thunderclap split the sky, so loud it shook the windows.

The lights flickered once. Then went out.

Darkness swallowed the room, sudden and absolute, save for the dim flicker of the fire and the low growl of the wind beyond the walls.

Natalya froze.

Across from her, Kane didn't move.

Then, softly. Too softly he said,

"You never know when the dark might decide to stay."

The shadows danced against his face, casting sharp angles over his features.

And for a moment, in a flash of lightning, he looked like someone else entirely.

Someone she couldn't quite place.

Someone she might've once feared.

Word count- 1063