The author narrates.
Vikram examined the shelter with a mixture of relief and distrust. The building hadn't fragmented like the town; its walls were still standing, though worn by time. Holes in the plaster revealed rusty pipes, and the wallpaper was barely hanging on, hanging like old skin that doesn't want to fall off completely.
He approached a window with a corroded frame. The glass was cracked and dirty, but still a view.
Outside... nothing.
No trees. No buildings. No fog. Just a darkness that seemed endless, as if the world had been erased at the edges.
Vikram pressed his lips together and took out his cell phone.
The screen lit up his face with that glow that had always accompanied him.
Comments kept coming in:
—"Well done, bro. A safe place… but something doesn't add up."
—"That old lady scared the hell out of me."
—"This is real cinema."
—"Is it a safe place? Have you checked?"
Vikram: "How the hell is this still working...?" he whispered as he scrolled.
He had a signal. He had data. It was still transmitting.
In a place like this.
That impressed him more than the darkness itself.
He decided to move forward, recording with a steady hand while talking to his followers:
Vikram: "Guys, this is fucking crazy. No one's here, everything's quiet," he murmured in a semi-mocking tone, although his eyes no longer displayed the same certainty as at the beginning.
He explored every corner: hallways covered in dust, empty rooms with twisted furniture, broken files. Everything seemed frozen in time, but not dead... just hidden.
After several minutes, a dry sound interrupted the silence.
The elevator at the far end opened with a creak that didn't seem mechanical, but almost organic.
Inside, there was no darkness... but a dim ultraviolet light, pulsing like a neon heart.
Vikram stopped. His shoulders tensed. He looked toward the illuminated entrance, as if invited. Vikram muttered to himself, more in doubt than hope. He went back to his phone. The comments poured in as if his followers were on the edge of their seats:
—"Bro, I wouldn't go in if I were you."
—"Is it an exit?"
—"Maybe it is an exit, don't think twice and go in there."
—"You have one chance. Stay or get out alive."
Hundreds more were starting to appear.
Some with alert emojis.
Others with repeated phrases as if the system had been glitched.
Vikram lowered his phone. His eyes met the purple light.
The elevator seemed to pulse. It didn't make a sound... but it wasn't still either.
It was like a mouth barely open, waiting for him to feed it.
Outside, the town was falling apart.
Inside, the silence held him.
And in the middle... there was him.
He didn't want to wait any longer. In that place where the hallways seemed to breathe, where silence weighed more than the darkness, he decided to enter the elevator. He did so with a firm step... although inside, something was trembling.
His phone was still recording. The broadcast hadn't died.
Vikram: "All of YouTube needs to see this..." he murmured with a tight smile, adjusting his jacket.
The elevator was narrow, and the ultraviolet light flickered over his face, creating bluish shadows under his eyes.
Just as he was about to press a button, the doors closed on their own.
Vikram: Shit... I hope it's not a trap. He gulped nervously, looking around as if waiting for something to emerge from the panels.
There was no background music, no beeps.
Just a low hum.
And then... the doors opened again.
A long hallway unfolded before him, covered in tiles that reflected the light like old skin. On either side, two identical corridors fanned out like crossed arms.
Vikram peered inside. Nothing. No sound. No living shadows. It was to be expected... but something in his chest tightened.
He left.
The transmission continued. The chat commented relentlessly.
But he walked as if something was guiding him.
Halfway down the hallway, that instinct that had never failed him roared inside his body.
Someone was watching him.
He turned sharply and kicked backward, with razor-sharp precision.
But his foot missed the void.
A hand stopped it gently, as if it knew exactly where it would hit.
???: "Good instinct," said a female voice, soft but firm.
The figure moved her foot away and held it for a few seconds, then leaned slightly to face him.
Vikram took a half step back, his eyes narrowed.
Vikram: "Who are you?"
???: "Oh, well..." The girl gracefully released her foot, then slyly called out to him. "I honestly can't tell you my name..."
He remained silent for a few seconds. He closed his eyes like someone choosing a card in a tarot deck.
And then, almost dancing on the floor, he did a little hop back and said:
???: "I've got it." "You can call me Bi." He smiled as if the name were a private joke.
The witch didn't look like what Vikram expected. She didn't have hollow eyes, nor a terrifying laugh.
She wore black, yes. A cloak and a hood.
But her face was young, marked by a strange glow that came not from the light, but from the way she watched him.
She didn't seem to be a threat.
Not yet.
Vikram: "O... okay," he nodded, letting his guard down for the first time since the village began to fall apart.
The room seemed to light up with that presence.
And even though nothing had been said yet... Bi had been waiting for him.
The room where Vikram and Bi were standing had a thick stillness, as if the air there wasn't for breathing but for holding secrets. The ultraviolet light coming from the elevator still traced lines on the peeling walls, and although the space seemed empty, there was something invisible vibrating between the words.
Bi leaned forward slightly, like someone sniffing a scent or preserving an answer they already knew.
Bi: "Do you know why you're here?" she asked softly, still smiling, though her lips were toothless. Her gaze was liquid, translucent, as if windows to another city were hidden within her eyes.
Vikram watched her cautiously. The recording continued; her face was still framed for her millions of followers.
Vikram: "Honestly... I'm just here to become famous," he said with conviction. "I'm going to record every experience I have while I'm here."
Bi tilted her head, as if analyzing not the words, but what trembled between them.
Bi: "Oh, all right. Fame. Is that what you want or not?"
Vikram nodded firmly, though sweat was beginning to form on his neck.
Bi: "So... what will you achieve with that?" Bi insisted, her fingers interlaced behind her back. He seemed to be talking about a game he'd witnessed too many times.
The kid responded enthusiastically, like someone shouting out a dream he still believes is his.
Vikram: Well, I'm planning to travel to a private beach. I want to become even more famous, so I can have lots of beautiful girls surrounding me.
Bi nodded, as if his gesture sustained a ritual. He wouldn't interrupt it. He didn't judge it. He just let it reveal itself.
Vikram: I want to keep joking around, and... I think... I want to have a lot of sex with girls, you know? he said, laughing a little, his hands already out of the frame, as if he didn't know how to sustain that desire.
That's when Bi stopped. His expression sharpened to a sustained note.
Bi: Do you really want to be surrounded by girls? To have sex with them all the time?
Vikram hesitated.
Vikram: I'm not that comfortable talking about this with a girl... but yes. I would like that," he finally nodded, smiling shyly.
On his cell phone, the broadcast was still live.
The comments were beginning to shift to other tones:
—"Man, you and I have almost the same desire."
—"That witch doesn't give me a good feeling."
—"That's where it would have started. Hold on to me."
—"If you want, I can be yours, Vikram."
But Vikram didn't stop to read.
Not this time.
His eyes were fixed on Bi, who no longer seemed to be just listening.
She seemed to be harvesting.
The word "sex" hung like an invisible smoke.
And Bi, still smiling, took a soft step toward him.
Bi: "Then I know what kind of desire will be at the heart of your judgment..." he murmured playfully.
But something in her eyes said that judgment had already begun.
___________________________________
Author:
I have nothing to say... But at least I left you one more chapter, since I'm trying to promote my story even on social media. Which is a bit tiring.
Leave your star like and follow me for more chapters.
There will be surprises later, but that will depend on your likes. I have all the chapters saved on my phone.
Chao! Chao! See you later! Bye!