**"Bound by Shadows"**

Sarah sat alone in her apartment, staring at the email on her laptop screen. The subject line was simple—*“I know what you did.”* Her hands trembled as she opened it, a single line of text staring back at her:

*Meet me at the old factory tonight at 10 PM. Don’t be late.*

Attached was a video. She hesitated before clicking play, but curiosity and fear pushed her forward. As the video began, her heart sank. It was footage from two weeks ago, the night she had made the biggest mistake of her life.

She had been out with friends, celebrating a promotion at work. A few drinks too many, a wrong turn on a dark street, and she had clipped the edge of a parked car. No one saw her, and in her panicked state, she had driven off, promising herself to return and make it right the next day. But she hadn’t. The next morning, she learned the car had been involved in a hit-and-run—only, it wasn’t just a car. A man had been walking past and was struck when her car veered off course. He survived, but barely. She had been too scared to come forward, and now someone knew.

As the video ended, Sarah’s stomach churned. She closed her laptop and buried her face in her hands.

She arrived at the old factory just before 10 PM, the wind biting at her skin as she stepped out of the car. The place was a relic from a forgotten time, with broken windows and rusted machinery looming in the shadows.

A man stepped out from the shadows, his face obscured by a hoodie. “You’re late,” he said, his voice cold and calm.

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Sarah replied, trying to keep her voice steady.

The man nodded. “Smart move. I won’t waste your time. You’re going to do something for me, and in return, I’ll make sure that video never sees the light of day.”

Sarah’s throat tightened. “What do you want?”

“There’s a safe in the office building on 8th Street. You’re going to get inside and bring me what’s in it.”

Sarah shook her head, panic rising. “I can’t do that! I’m not a criminal!”

The man took a step closer, his presence overwhelming. “You already are, Sarah. Or have you forgotten what you did? This is your chance to make it right. Do this one thing, and you can go back to your life. Refuse, and I send the video to the police. It’s your choice.”

Sarah felt trapped, a cold sweat breaking out across her skin. The image of the man she had hurt flashed in her mind—his crumpled body on the pavement, the blood. She had been so careful, thinking no one had seen her, but now it was all crashing down.

“Why me?” she whispered.

The man chuckled. “You were convenient. Wrong place, wrong time. Now you’re in this, and the only way out is to do as I say.”

Sarah’s mind raced. She didn’t have the skills to pull off a break-in, but she couldn’t see another way out. If she refused, her life was over. If she went through with it, there was a chance she could get the footage back and put this nightmare behind her. But what if she got caught?

“I’ll do it,” she said finally, the words bitter in her mouth.

The man nodded again, satisfied. “Good. You have until tomorrow night. Don’t disappoint me.”

He turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Sarah alone in the dark, the weight of what she had just agreed to crushing her.