A Name in the Dark

Your words lingered—Zoran. Defeat him. My chest seized up, breath catching in my throat as I crept past the edge of the sketchbook. The room was vast, swallowed in dim evening shadows. Across the wooden floorboards, a dark, jagged silhouette loomed tall beneath the lamp. Was it him? Heart racing, I gripped the corner of a heavy book, bracing myself to strike or shield whoever was behind me. But then the draft shifted. It was only the twisted cord of the lamp, dangling against the base. No enemy. Just empty quiet, and my own trembling hands.