The Stalker Next Door: 24. Clash of Shadows

Mara knew something had shifted the moment the cabin grew too quiet.

The first Watcher had left her in the bedroom again, locked in, after another hour of “training.” He was methodical this time — no bruises, no overt cruelty, just instructions and corrections until her head felt like it was splitting from the effort of keeping up.

She had played her role well: obedient, soft, pliant. But her chest throbbed with rage. Each “yes” that slipped past her lips had been a lie. Each bow of her head had been a rehearsal for the day she would snap it up, fast and hard, and drive something sharp into his throat.

That was her plan. Play the soft one. Survive. Then strike.

But now the silence outside the locked door wasn’t his usual silence. It wasn’t patient or watchful. It was charged. The air itself felt different, heavier.

Something — someone — else was here.

The door opened.

It wasn’t him.

The man who stepped into the room was taller, leaner, dresse