"Krish, Krishhh... where are you? Come out, I see youuu..."
The voice calls out, high-pitched and innocent, bouncing off the walls. It's a sound that would normally bring comfort, but not now. Not like this.
I'm crouched low in the basement, my body trembling, my teeth grinding into my own hand so hard that the skin splits open. The sharp sting of the blood spilling over doesn't even compare to the ache in my chest. That deep, gnawing emptiness... it's like heavy chains, pulling me down, draining everything out of me. The blood on my fingers is warm, and yet, it almost feels like a release—like it's the only thing that still connects me to this world.
But no matter how loud that voice gets, no matter how much my heart wants to scream back... I can't.
Because if I do, if I say a single word, I know I won't survive this.
I just have to stay silent. And hope...
But hoping everything will be alright is nothing but a pipe dream because.. because...
That voice, That child no longer a the same child, its a monster, a monster, pretending to be human. It's mocking me. Mocking everything I've lost.
It killed them. My mother, my sister. Right in front of my eyes. I didn't just watch them die. I watched them be devoured. That thing tore them apart, piece by piece. The screams... the fear in their eyes... it's something I'll never escape.
I should've been the one to die. I should've gone with them. Why was I spared? Why am I here, cowering in this basement while they're gone?
I should kill it. End this. It's the only way my family will ever have peace. It's the only way I'll ever feel like I can breathe again.
But I can't.
I can't even stand up in front of it, let alone try to kill it.
Who am I kidding? I don't even have the strength to face it. The rage, the pain, the sorrow... it all just twists inside me. But none of it gives me the power to fight.
I'm weak. I can't do it. I can't even bring myself to stand, let alone avenge my family. And so I sit here, hiding, shaking. Hoping the nightmare will end... but knowing deep down, it never will...
But hiding here won't change a damn thing. It's not like it won't find me. Just now... it looked straight at me. Right where I'm crouching, in the shadows. I could feel it, like its eyes were boring into me, cold and calculating.
And God... the blood. So much of it, dripping from its mouth. Blood that used to belong to my family. The same blood that stained my hands... only now, it's all over its face, like it's some kind of sick trophy.
And that smile. That smile. The same one it had when it killed them... when it enjoyed it. I can still hear their screams in my head, feel the terror in their eyes. It's like it's mocking me, playing with me now, because it knows I'm too weak to stop it.
Every instinct in me is screaming to move, to run, to do something. But my body doesn't respond. I'm frozen. And I know why.
Because deep down, I'm not sure I can outrun it. Or even if I could, I wouldn't survive long enough to escape.
It knows I'm here. It knows I'm hiding. And that smile tells me—it's not done with me yet..
Ah, Krish... there you are. How lovely. How adorable, really. You've been hiding, haven't you?
You still don't trust me? Oh, I can't blame you. After all, we've only just met at the park, and here I am, calling myself your only friend. It's funny, isn't it? How quickly people can become... important.
So, how did you like the gift I gave your family? I'm sure it was a surprise. Their faces... they didn't exactly look thrilled, did they? But, what can I say? It was the only thing I could come up with. The only thing that seemed fitting for a proper introduction. You know how it is—first impressions and all that. I'm sure they didn't mind it... really. It's just a little... something to remember me by.
It said that, it really said that..
At that moment something in me broke. All the rage, all the pain... it just snapped. I wasn't going to take this anymore. Not the mockery. Not the fear. I wasn't going to be a coward.
I lunged at it, hands trembling, fists clenched. I didn't care that I was outmatched. Didn't care that it could end my life. For once, I just needed to feel like I was doing something. Anything.
My fist connected with its face, a sickening thud echoing in my head. I thought maybe—just maybe—I could hurt it. Make it feel something for once. For all the pain it had caused, the lives it had ruined.
But then... that smile. That damn smile.
It was like nothing had happened. Like I hadn't even touched it. Before I could take a breath, its hands were around my throat, cold, unyielding. I tried to fight, tried to claw at its hands, but my body was giving up on me. My chest felt like it was collapsing in on itself.
It threw me to the ground, and I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I could feel the weight of it on top of me, crushing me. The world was going black, everything going still.
I didn't even have the strength to scream.
And then, that laugh. That horrible, twisted laugh.
I couldn't fight anymore. I was nothing. Just a broken mess, and it had won.
So this is it. This is how it ends.
No fight. No last words. Just... this. Crushed under the weight of everything I couldn't change.
The suffering's over now. But it doesn't feel like relief. I'm just... empty.
I couldn't protect them. I couldn't save Mom, couldn't save Diya. I didn't even get to say goodbye. And now I'm here, just another lost soul who couldn't do a damn thing.
It's all my fault. Every bit of it. If I'd been stronger... if I hadn't let myself get so damn lonely, maybe they'd still be here. I should've known better. Should've stayed away. I chose this. I chose to let someone in. I wanted a friend, but I didn't realize what that would cost.
I can't even... can't even get angry about it. Because deep down, I know. I know I deserved this. Every second of it. I was too weak to save them. Too weak to fight back. And now I'm just a pathetic mess lying here, dying like this.
Sorry, Mom. Sorry, Diya. I was supposed to protect you. I should've been there, for both of you. But I wasn't. I was too busy thinking about myself. About my own stupid need for a friend.
I didn't deserve to live after all that.
Maybe... maybe this is just the way it had to be. I'm sorry.
When I closed my eyes, I thought it would be the end. I thought everything would just... stop. The pain, the terror... my whole existence. But it didn't.
I'm still here. Still thinking. Still feeling.
How?
I should be gone, shouldn't I? I deserve to be gone, to be punished, to vanish into whatever hell I've earned. But... no. I'm still aware. I can still think, even though I shouldn't be able to.
My body—it's not heavy anymore. I don't feel that weight pressing down on me, the suffocating exhaustion. Instead, it's light, like I'm not even in it anymore. My mind, too. It's like the noise is gone. The constant, frantic thoughts. The guilt, the rage, the sadness—all of it, gone.
I open my eyes... but there's nothing. Just endless darkness.
I'm floating. No, it's more than that. I'm drifting. Like I'm suspended in some space between here and... wherever I was supposed to be.
But wait. There's something else. A flicker. A light, barely there, far away, glowing softly in the distance.
Is this it? Is this what happens when you die? Is this what it's all for?
I can't even make sense of it. It's so quiet. And so... peaceful.
But no, that's not right, is it? I shouldn't feel peaceful. Not after everything I've done. After failing my family. After letting them down. This isn't how it should be. I should be scared. But I'm not.
I don't know what this is. I don't know why I'm still here. But I'm... not afraid. I don't know if I should be.
Why am I not dead? Why am I still thinking?
I see something.
At first, it's just a flicker, a distant glow. But then... no. There's more. So much more.
There are figures—so many of them. But they don't feel... human. Not at all. Some are huge, towering, with wings spread wide, their scales shimmering. Dragons. But... not like any dragons I've ever heard of. Then there are others—dark, twisted shapes—monsters. And... angels? Their wings cutting through the air like knives. They're all... fighting. No, that's not right—this isn't a fight.
It's a war.
A war, between beings I can't even begin to understand. I thought I was dreaming. I thought this was some twisted nightmare. But it's too real. Too alive.
And they're all staring at something. At someone.
A shepherd?
What... what is a shepherd doing here? In the middle of all this? A shepherd. Among dragons, demons, angels... gods. I don't get it. It doesn't make sense.
But there he is. Standing there, calm as ever, while all of this chaos rages around him.
And then it hits me: The way they're looking at him... they're afraid. These powerful beings—these gods, these monsters—they're terrified of him. I can see it in their eyes. They're not sure what to do.
Why? Why is everyone afraid of him? Why is he the one they're all waiting for?
I don't understand any of this. None of it makes sense.
But somehow... I know. I feel it deep down. Whatever happens next, whatever this is... it's going to change everything. For them. For me. For all of us.