The Killer Between Us (eBook)

. Noxus (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
119 Seiten
Publishdrive (Verlag)
978-0-00-107105-6 (ISBN)

Infos

Aiden, a 17-year-old drawn to the enigmatic Elias, discovers love entangled with horror. As secrets unravel, he must choose: expose the monster he loves or cling to hope of redemption

Textauszug

Chapter 1 – Shadows at the Door

Aiden clutched the strap of his backpack as he stepped out of the taxi, the crisp autumn air brushing against his cheeks. The street was silent, save for the distant rustle of leaves and the occasional crunch of gravel under tires. Before him stood the mansion: tall, imposing, almost impossibly old. Its dark brick façade seemed to absorb the late-afternoon sunlight, casting long, trembling shadows across the cracked cobblestone driveway.

He swallowed, feeling his stomach tighten. “It’s… beautiful,” he muttered to himself, though a shiver ran down his spine. The wrought-iron gate squeaked faintly as he pushed it open, and the heavy wooden doors loomed before him like an invitation he wasn’t sure he wanted to accept.

Inside, the air smelled of polished wood and something faintly metallic, like iron. The grand entrance hall stretched above him, a chandelier hanging precariously from the ceiling, swaying slightly as if stirred by some invisible hand. Dust motes danced in the slivers of sunlight that sneaked through the tall windows. A soft creak echoed beneath his shoes as he stepped forward.

“Hello?” His voice was small, swallowed by the vast space.

A figure emerged from a shadowed corridor at the far end of the hall. He froze, his heart thudding. Tall, lean, impossibly poised. Hair as black as midnight, eyes sharp and piercing in a way that made him feel both seen and uncomfortably exposed.

“You must be Aiden,” the figure said, his voice smooth, carefully measured. “I’m Elias. I live here… and help my father manage things.”

Aiden blinked. “Uh… yeah. I’m… Aiden Harper.” His words stumbled out, his mouth dry.

Elias stepped closer, his shoes silent against the wooden floor. He held out a hand, pale and elegant. “Welcome, then. I hope you’ll find the mansion… comfortable.” His smile was small but unsettling, precise, as though he had rehearsed it for decades.

Aiden’s hand hovered uncertainly, then clasped Elias’s. The contact sent an unexpected warmth through him, sharp and disarming. Elias withdrew his hand smoothly, leaving Aiden with a strange sense of both longing and unease.

“I—thank you,” Aiden managed, feeling slightly foolish.

Elias’s eyes flicked toward the staircase, then back to him. “Your room is at the end of the east wing. The house can be… confusing at first. I can show you, if you like.”

Aiden hesitated, torn between wanting to explore on his own and accepting the guidance of this enigmatic figure. “Uh… yeah, that’d be great.”

As they walked, the house seemed to shift around him. Shadows stretched longer than they should have, curling along the walls like dark fingers. A distant door slammed somewhere above, though there had been no wind. He shook his head, trying to ignore it.

“So… do you like mysteries?” Elias asked casually, glancing down at him with a curious tilt of his head.

Aiden frowned. “I guess… I do. Why?”

Elias’s lips curved just slightly, enigmatic. “Just seems fitting, for someone moving into a place like this.”

Aiden felt a flush creep up his neck. There was something in the way Elias spoke, the way his gaze lingered—both intense and unsettling. It made him feel like he was being measured, weighed, and understood all at once. And somehow… he didn’t hate it.

At the end of the hall, Aiden’s room appeared. The door was heavy, carved with intricate patterns. Inside, it smelled faintly of lavender and old wood. The window looked out onto the overgrown garden, where shadows of twisted branches stretched like skeletal fingers across the lawn.

“I’ll leave you to settle in,” Elias said, standing in the doorway. “Dinner will be in an hour. Don’t wander too far.” His eyes lingered on Aiden a moment longer than necessary, and then he turned, gliding down the hall with a silence that made Aiden’s skin prickle.

Aiden unpacked slowly, the mansion’s creaks and whispers growing louder in the silence. He glanced at the window again; for a moment, he thought he saw a figure standing among the trees, watching him. But when he blinked, there was nothing.

A soft knock at the door startled him. He opened it to find a neighbor, a middle-aged woman with a worried expression. “You must be the new tenant. Be careful… that boy, Elias… he’s… well…” She trailed off, shaking her head. “Just… be careful, alright?”

Aiden nodded, unease knotting in his stomach. “Thanks… I’ll keep that in mind.”

She left, and the hallway felt emptier than before. The mansion seemed to breathe around him, alive with secrets, shadows, and something darker he didn’t yet understand.

When he finally lay down on the bed, the sun had nearly set. Elias’s image lingered in his mind—the unsettlingly perfect smile, the intense blue eyes, the way his presence filled the room even when he wasn’t there.

Aiden closed his eyes, trying to quiet his thoughts. Somewhere in the mansion, a door creaked. A shadow moved. And deep down, he felt an unfamiliar thrill—the sense that he was not just moving into a house, but stepping into a mystery that would consume him entirely.

Chapter 2 – Hallways and Whispers

The next morning, sunlight seeped through the tall windows, illuminating the dust motes that floated lazily in the mansion’s halls. Aiden sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the intricate carvings in the wooden floor beneath him, trying to ignore the uneasy flutter in his stomach. The mansion was silent except for the occasional creak of a distant floorboard, but even that sound seemed deliberate, as if the house were aware of his presence.

He dressed quickly, hesitating for a moment at the door. The hallway stretched before him, lined with portraits of stern-faced men and women in antiquated clothing. Their painted eyes seemed to follow him as he stepped cautiously forward. The air was colder than the room had been, a subtle chill creeping along his arms and neck. He shivered but told himself it was just the draft, nothing more.

“Focus,” he muttered under his breath, trying to sound braver than he felt.

As he reached the grand staircase, a soft footstep behind him made him spin. Elias stood there, hands tucked into the pockets of his dark trousers, his expression calm but unnervingly precise.

“Good morning,” Elias said smoothly, his voice low and measured. “I see you’ve survived your first night.”

Aiden swallowed, suddenly aware of how his stomach fluttered at the sight of him. “Morning. Yeah… it wasn’t too bad.” He tried to keep his voice steady, though he noticed it came out a little higher than usual.

Elias’s eyes flicked toward the staircase, then back at him. “Breakfast will be in the dining hall shortly. I can show you if you’d like, though you may prefer to explore first.”

Aiden hesitated, glancing down the hallway that seemed to stretch endlessly, the light bending oddly around the corners. “I… think I’d like to explore,” he admitted.

Elias tilted his head slightly, a faint smile touching his lips. “Very well. I’ll be around if you need guidance. Do try not to get lost.”

As Elias’s figure retreated down another corridor, Aiden felt the familiar mix of curiosity and unease settle over him. He stepped carefully along the hall, noting the high ceilings, the intricate moldings, and the smell of old wood mixed with something faintly metallic. At the end of the hall, he found a small study. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with leather-bound volumes whose titles were faded beyond recognition.

He ran a finger along the spine of one book, startled when the sound of it scraping against the others echoed unnaturally. Pulling it out, he discovered a slip of paper tucked inside—a handwritten note, delicate and precise:

“Do not trust what you see at first glance. The shadows are not empty.”

His heart raced. A shiver ran down his spine, but part of him felt an inexplicable thrill. This was the kind of mystery he had always loved—puzzles hidden in plain sight, clues left by someone who knew the house better than anyone.

Footsteps echoed behind him, and he quickly replaced the book, turning to see Elias standing in the doorway again, his expression unreadable.

“You found something interesting?” Elias...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 4.10.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Kinder- / Jugendbuch
• ISBN-10: 0-00-107105-X / 000107105X
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-107105-6 / 9780001071056