23-10-2025, 01:19 AM
Monday Night – The Darkness in 205
By the time everything was over, the sun had already started its slow descent behind the buildings. The last of the vehicles had left, the murmuring of people faded, and the apartment complex stood unnaturally still, as though it too was holding its breath.
Ravi walked up the stairs to the second floor like a man in a trance. His legs felt weak, his palms cold, his shirt sticking slightly to his skin. Every sound, the faint creak of a door, the flutter of a curtain, seemed to echo too loudly. He reached his flat, fumbled with the key for a moment, and finally pushed the door open.
The air inside Flat 205 was stale and heavy. He didn’t bother switching on the lights. The dim orange glow from the corridor spilled faintly into the living room, casting long shadows on the floor. Ravi closed the door behind him gently, the click of the latch sounding final, like the last page of a chapter he hadn’t wanted to finish.
He sank onto the couch, elbows on his knees, staring blankly at the floor. His mind refused to stay still. Images flashed before him, disjointed and painfully vivid, Sirisha’s laughter echoing from the balcony, Neetu’s teasing voice as she handed him a plate of lunch, Vamsi’s easy smile when they last met.
How could it all just… end?
He pressed his palms over his face, trying to stop the memories, but they came flooding in anyway, brighter, sharper, crueler. The sound of Neetu calling him from the kitchen. The way Sirisha had said “Bhayya” in that half-playful tone. Vamsi’s voice over the phone, casual as ever, “Movie at five, come on, don’t be late.”
He lowered his hands slowly, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. The outlines of familiar things surrounded him, the books on the shelf, the half-empty cup on the table, his phone lying face down beside him. But none of it felt real anymore.
Everything around him felt drained of warmth, as though the life had seeped out of the walls themselves.
A wave of disbelief washed over him again. Maybe this was some mistake. Maybe when he woke up tomorrow, there would be a message from Neetu. A voice note from Sirisha. A missed call from Vamsi. Anything. Something to say that all this was just a nightmare.
By the time everything was over, the sun had already started its slow descent behind the buildings. The last of the vehicles had left, the murmuring of people faded, and the apartment complex stood unnaturally still, as though it too was holding its breath.
Ravi walked up the stairs to the second floor like a man in a trance. His legs felt weak, his palms cold, his shirt sticking slightly to his skin. Every sound, the faint creak of a door, the flutter of a curtain, seemed to echo too loudly. He reached his flat, fumbled with the key for a moment, and finally pushed the door open.
The air inside Flat 205 was stale and heavy. He didn’t bother switching on the lights. The dim orange glow from the corridor spilled faintly into the living room, casting long shadows on the floor. Ravi closed the door behind him gently, the click of the latch sounding final, like the last page of a chapter he hadn’t wanted to finish.
He sank onto the couch, elbows on his knees, staring blankly at the floor. His mind refused to stay still. Images flashed before him, disjointed and painfully vivid, Sirisha’s laughter echoing from the balcony, Neetu’s teasing voice as she handed him a plate of lunch, Vamsi’s easy smile when they last met.
How could it all just… end?
He pressed his palms over his face, trying to stop the memories, but they came flooding in anyway, brighter, sharper, crueler. The sound of Neetu calling him from the kitchen. The way Sirisha had said “Bhayya” in that half-playful tone. Vamsi’s voice over the phone, casual as ever, “Movie at five, come on, don’t be late.”
He lowered his hands slowly, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. The outlines of familiar things surrounded him, the books on the shelf, the half-empty cup on the table, his phone lying face down beside him. But none of it felt real anymore.
Everything around him felt drained of warmth, as though the life had seeped out of the walls themselves.
A wave of disbelief washed over him again. Maybe this was some mistake. Maybe when he woke up tomorrow, there would be a message from Neetu. A voice note from Sirisha. A missed call from Vamsi. Anything. Something to say that all this was just a nightmare.
.
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