The Return of the Dead Luna

Ian’s POV

The moon hung high in the sky, casting a silver glow over the forest as I crouched low. My eyes were trained on the deer just a few yards ahead. The thrill of the hunt was something I couldn’t shake. No matter how hard I tried to leave it behind. Once a week, I ventured out to the woods, taking what I needed and giving the rest to the orphanage on the outskirts of town. They didn’t know where the fresh meat came from. But that’s how I liked it. Quiet. Disconnected. I didn’t care for socialization, not anymore.

I stayed perfectly still, waiting for the right moment to strike. But something felt…off tonight. The forest was unusually silent. The only sound was the faint rustling of leaves in the gentle breeze. The deer hadn’t sensed me yet. Its head was bent low, oblivious to the predator nearby. But despite the perfect setup, I couldn’t bring myself to move. Something tugged at the edges of my mind, pulling me away from the hunt.

My gaze drifted eastward, toward the seaside cliffs that bordered the edge of the forest. I didn’t usually venture that way since it was too close to town, too close to people. But tonight, for some reason, I felt drawn there. I abandoned the hunt. My feet already moved before I even made the decision.

By the time I reached the cliffs, the moon had fully risen, illuminating the dark waters below. That’s when I saw it. The car, tumbling from the edge of the cliff like a stone cast into the sea. I froze as I watched as the vehicle disappeared beneath the waves. It all happened so fast that I barely registered the other cars that had pulled up behind it. Their headlights illuminated the scene briefly before they sped off, leaving nothing but silence in their wake.

I stared after them with my jaw clenched. Whoever had been in that car, whoever had watched it fall…they didn’t care. They’d left as if it was nothing, a mere inconvenience to their night.

I shook my head, trying to push the scene out of my mind. It wasn’t my business. I had left civilization for a reason… to stay out of other people’s messes. I didn’t leave my solitary life to get involved in things like this. Whoever had been inside that car…well, maybe they’d deserved what happened. Or maybe not. It didn’t matter.

Turning back toward the woods, I forced myself to focus on the path home. I had more important things to do than worry about what went on by the cliffs. The deer, the forest, my solitude. Those were all I needed.

Yet, when I got back to my cabin, I couldn’t sleep. I tossed and turned. My mind refused to quiet. Every time I closed my eyes, the image of that car falling from the cliff flashed behind my eyelids. Something bothered me, an uneasy feeling that I couldn’t shake.

“Damn it!”

I sat up in bed, scrubbing a hand over my face. This was ridiculous.

What good would it do to go back?

But the nagging pull wouldn’t stop. A force stronger than my rational mind was telling me to return to the seaside. Maybe I was losing it, but I knew I wouldn’t find peace unless I did.

With a frustrated sigh, I pulled on my boots and stepped out into the cool night air. The wind carried the faint scent of saltwater as I made my way back to the cliffs, cursing myself with every step. I didn’t even know what I was hoping to find. Nothing, most likely. But something told me I needed to be there.

When I reached the cliffs again, the scene was eerily quiet. The ocean lapped gently against the rocks below, as if nothing had happened. No sign of the car, no sign of anyone. I sighed, feeling foolish for coming all the way back. I turned to leave, shaking my head at my own stupidity.

Until I saw her.

At first, I thought she was a trick of the moonlight, a shadow cast by the jagged rocks. But as I moved closer, the figure became clearer. A woman, lying crumpled near the shore, her body was as still as dead. My breath caught in my throat.

She must have been the driver of the car. She’d somehow survived the fall.

But how?

I approached her cautiously, crouching down beside her. My heart pounded as I gently turned her over, revealing her face. My breath left me in a rush. She looked…exactly like her. My late wife. The same dark hair. The same delicate features.

No. It couldn’t be. She was gone. Dead. I knew that. And yet, here was this woman, lying in front of me, barely alive. And she looked so much like her that my hands trembled.

I should have left her there. I should have walked away and gone back to my cabin, back to the life I had built far from all this madness. But I couldn’t. Not after seeing her face.

Without another thought, I scooped her into my arms. Her body limped and cold against mine. She was still breathing, but barely. She needed help. And I wasn’t about to let her die out here alone.

I turned and made my way back through the forest, carrying her to my cabin. My heart was heavy with questions I didn’t know how to answer.