[Intro – distant street noise, low pad] The door closed soft behind my back [Verse 1] The street was lit, the air felt clean Like nothing strange had ever been Cars passed by, the city breathed Like it had never noticed me I checked my hands, I checked my face No dust, no blood, no sign of place I told myself it’s over now I said it out loud [Pre-Chorus – restrained, tense] But every light behind the glass Stayed on a little too long And every step I tried to take Felt measured, felt wrong [Chorus] Thirteen shadows followed me Out of that place, into the street No chains, no signs, no warning sound Just footsteps that I didn’t make Thirteen shadows, tall and thin They don’t chase — they just begin Wherever I stop, wherever I go They already know [Verse 2] My reflection blinked too late Like it was learning how to wait I smiled first, it followed slow Like it was something I should know I slept in light, I locked the door But counted thirteen on the floor Every corner held its breath Like it remembered where I’d been [Pre-Chorus – whispered harmony] I thought escape would feel like air But it feels heavier than there [Chorus] Thirteen shadows followed me Not behind — but underneath No past to leave, no truth to say They just stand where I don’t look Thirteen shadows in my room In the morning, in the gloom I left the place, I swear I did But something didn’t [Bridge – stripped, intimate] Maybe this is what remains When you survive the wrong place Maybe nothing followed me Maybe it was already me [Final Chorus – subdued, unresolved] Thirteen shadows follow me Not as ghosts — as memory No locked door, no room to flee Just silence keeping company Thirteen shadows, still in line Every one of them is mine I don’t feel cursed, I don’t feel free I just feel thirteen next to me [Outro – fading instrumentation] Still here… Still counting…
