It was past midnight when Anish walked home through the silent streets of Morde City. The air was cold, and the moon hung low, half-hidden by drifting clouds. He wrapped his jacket tighter around himself, the sound of his footsteps echoing faintly on the empty road.
Suddenly, he felt something — a chill running down his spine.
It wasn't just the cold.
It was fear.
Something was wrong.
Ahead of him, a trash bin began to shake violently. The sound of metal rattling echoed through the dark street. Anish froze, his breath catching in his throat.
"What… what is that?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
The shaking grew stronger. Then, from inside, a small shadow leapt out.
It was… a cat.
Anish let out a shaky laugh, feeling foolish for being scared. But before he could walk away, the cat turned its head — and its eyes glowed red.
Then, right before his eyes, the cat's body began to twist and stretch unnaturally. Bones cracked. Fur fell away. Within seconds, the creature had transformed into a human-like figure — tall, pale, with hollow black eyes and a grin that didn't belong on any human face.
Anish stumbled backward, terror flooding his body. He turned and ran — faster and faster — not daring to look back.
When he reached the main street, he saw the road open ahead and finally slowed down, gasping for breath. The familiar lights of home made him relax — for a moment.
Then the streetlights started to flicker.
Blink.
Blink.
Blink.
Through the blinking lights, he saw it again — that human-like creature, standing at the far end of the road, unmoving, staring straight at him.
Anish screamed and ran as fast as he could, his heart pounding like thunder. Somehow, he reached home, slammed the door shut, and fell to the floor.
His roommate and best friend, Ravi, rushed to him.
"What happened, Anish?"
Anish could barely speak, but he told him everything — the shaking trash, the cat, the transformation, the creature that followed him. Ravi listened carefully, his expression turning serious.
"There's someone I know," Ravi said after a pause. "A man from my hometown. He can talk to ghosts… and destroy them."
Anish stared at him, unsure if he should believe it. But deep down, he knew something unnatural had followed him that night.
Later, exhausted, Anish finally drifted to sleep.
But in his dream, he heard a familiar voice — his mother's.
"Come here, my son… come here, my son…"
Her voice was soft, almost kind. He saw her silhouette standing near a trash bin — the same one from earlier. Slowly, he walked toward her.
But in the real world, Anish's body began to move too.
He rose from bed, eyes closed, walking toward the door.
Step by step… toward the trash outside.
Just as he reached it, Ravi grabbed his arm.
"Anish! Wake up!" he shouted.
Anish jolted awake, gasping. He was standing right in front of the trash bin. If Ravi hadn't stopped him, he might have… jumped.
"What were you doing?" Ravi yelled.
Anish shook his head, trembling. "I… I saw my mom… in my dream…"
That night, neither of them slept again. Ravi stayed awake, guarding his friend till dawn.
But deep inside, Anish knew —
the creature wasn't gone yet.