Adya jolted awake, her heart racing as she blinked against the darkness in the apartment. The air felt heavy, thick with a stillness, broken only by the faint rustle of leaves swaying outside. A chill breeze slipped through the open terrace windows, sending a shiver down her spine as it brushed against her skin like a ghostly whisper.
"Ayan?" Her voice emerged as a fragile echo, swallowed whole by the silence. The darkness loomed around her, pressing in from all sides as if it were alive watching her. The shadows clung to the walls, twisting into grotesque shapes that danced menacingly at the corners of her vision.
But then, the oppressive stillness shattered with a sudden, agonizing scream that sliced through the air like a knife, raw and filled with desperation. Adya's heart leaped into her throat, panic crashing over her in waves. She shot upright, adrenaline surging as she leaped from her chair, her bare feet hitting the cool floor with a soft thud.
