Preface: Lila

                                    

                                          
I ran. My breath came in short, ragged bursts. The alley twisted, pulling me deeper into shadows that rippled like oil slicks. Behind me, the buzzing of insects swelled—louder, closer—like a hive had burst inside my head.
It didn't feel like I was awake. Not really. The streets folded inward, rearranging themselves each time I turned a corner. This wasn't the city I knew; it was a dream, or something worse, and I couldn't tell if I'd ever wake up.
I blinked—once—and the music twisted, the crowd growing grotesque. Their voices stretched thin, laughter snapping into shrill cries, brass horns clanging like church bells announcing a funeral. Were they people? Or something pretending to be people?
I glanced over my shoulder—the first real mistake— a flicker of movement. And there he was. The chainsaw man. His jagged weapon glinted under flickering neon light, and the chains dragged behind him like the tolling of a bell, heavy with purpose.
Suddenly, out of the shadows, a familiar voice cut through the chaos. "Lila!"
The crowd shifted and swayed, their masks grinning too wide, feathers sprouting from their arms like wings. I blinked, and the sequins on their costumes glimmered like beetle shells, clicking softly as the revelers slithered past.
A distant clatter echoed, pulling my attention away. Panic surged through me. I had to keep moving. I turned and fled deeper into the alley, my heart racing as the sounds of the festival faded behind me. I turned another corner and stumbled into a fiery hot alley. Flames danced along the walls, casting flickering shadows that twisted into faces—mouths open in silent screams, limbs contorted in agony, begging for mercy.that made my heart race even faster. 
The heat was suffocating, and the sight sent waves of nausea crashing over me. As I stumbled further into the alley, my surroundings darkened until I could barely see. The flickering firelight revealed a long, shadowy corridor engulfed in flames. My breath quickened as I tried to make sense of the anarchy around me. It was then I noticed a figure at the end of the alley, standing amidst the inferno.
He was tall, his silhouette imposing against the flickering light. Muscles rippled beneath his skin, glistening with sweat as he wielded a jagged chainsaw, the metal gleaming menacingly. His face was partially obscured by a mask that grinned too wide, his eyes gleaming with a mix of thrill and madness. He was dangerously attractive yet horrifying, a twisted embodiment of my darkest nightmares.
I was frozen, horrified by the sight of this hauntingly hot figure amidst the torture unfolding around me. The screams grew louder, echoing in my ears as the figure turned to me, a smirk playing on his lips, as if he reveled in my fear. 
The noises seemed to pull at my very core, a reminder of burdens I had never acknowledged. I felt it in my bones: the darkness I painted, the twisted desires I kept buried, and the specters of those I could never forget.
Then, I saw him. A figure of a man, dangling a chainsaw at his fingertips. He moved with an almost hypnotic grace, a predator enjoying the hunt. The chains trailing behind him, leaving a slick trail of burnt remains that glimmered like twisted metal in the firelight. My heart raced, caught between terror and a perverse fascination.
The insect buzzing intensified, merging with the throaty rev of the chainsaw, drowning out my thoughts and filling the alley with a chorus of decay and corruption. Each insect seemed to thrive on the chaos, a reminder that my art had become infested with darker themes, a beacon for malevolent forces I could barely comprehend.
As he approached, soft whispers wafted from him, a chilling serenade that wrapped around me like a shroud. They were the voices of his victims, begging for release, warning me to escape while I still could. The murmurs seeped into my mind, igniting my insecurities. What have you done? they seemed to echo. What are you creating?
I stumbled back, my heart racing as terror surged through me. The images of torture etched into the walls danced before my eyes, merging with the whispers that clawed at my sanity. I pressed my hands against my ears, but the sounds only grew louder, a cacophony of despair that threatened to consume me whole.
"You left her," they hissed, and for a moment, the mask on the man's face twisted into Nora's smile, sharp and cruel.
I felt the heat of the flames licking at my skin, the oppressive weight of the alley closing in around me. My legs buckled beneath the weight of it all, and I sank to the floor, curling into myself, desperately trying to block out the horror. But the chainsaw man stood above me, a looming figure of turmoil and artistic torment, his presence both intoxicating and terrifying.
I covered my head against the unforgiving cement, desperately trying to block out the nightmare surrounding me. "Stop! Please!" I cried, tears streaming down my cheeks, blending with the dirt and grime beneath me. The flames roared, and the heat pressed against my skin, but all I could feel was the overwhelming dread engulfing me.
It felt like an eternity, the screams stretching on, a nightmare from which I couldn't awaken. Everything went silent. I opened my eyes again just as I thought I would drown in the clamor, a figure loomed above me jump scaring me, his shadow blocking the flames. A surge of icy dread swept through me, yet within it, I felt a flicker of hope, a spark that urged me to look up.
"Lila!" Noah's voice was steady, slicing through the cacophony like a knife. "You have to get up! It's not real!"
With a shuddering breath, I reached out, my hand sliding into his. It felt warm, solid—real. The moment our fingers touched, the nightmare began to unravel. The chainsaw man dissolved into smoke, the flames sputtered out, and the insects scattered like ash in the wind. The alley folded in on itself, the walls crumbling into nothingness, until there was only Noah and me.
 "We need to go, now!" he insisted, his grip tightening around mine.
Without hesitation, I pulled myself to my feet, still shaking but determined to escape the revulsions that clung to me. Together, we sprinted down the alley, the flames receding behind us as the festival sounds returned to fill the silence, merging with the thundering of my heart. is this the real Noah?
We stumbled out of the alley, gasping for breath, the festival sounds crashing over us like a wave. But even as the crowd surged around me, I froze. In the distance, just for a moment, I saw him—his mask grinning wide, his chainsaw gleaming in the neon light. And then he was gone.


**Hi all. I have been MIA for a looong but I'm back. I think I'm ready to come back. I will be archiving all my old work as I think it's time to start on a fresh page.  I appreciate all my followers and hope your ready to hear more from me :) I'm really excited for this story you have no idea. let me know how you're feeling about everything<3 **