The nights in the Dock Sector are not always the same.
Sometimes the night brings only darkness.
Sometimes wind.
Sometimes rain.
But tonight is different.
Tonight, it feels as if an invisible silence has been forced into every alley, every house, and every window of the city.
The sea waves crash against the stones in the distance. That sound reaches deep into the city, faint and muffled. Like a distant heartbeat.
The people of the Dock Sector have fallen asleep by now.
But there are some houses—that never fully sleep.
Asha's house is one of them.
---
Iren stands by the room door.
His breathing is slow.
His eyes are still fixed on the wall.
The wall where, just seconds ago, he saw two shadows.
One was his own.
The other—
Was not his.
Now, there is only one shadow on the wall.
His own.
But that image is still circling in his head.
Iren slowly turns to look toward the corridor.
Darkness.
Silence.
There is no one.
Yet every nerve inside his body tells him—he is not alone.
---
He stands still for a few seconds.
Trying to listen.
The sound of the wind.
The distant waves.
The occasional creak of the old wooden floor.
But there is no sound of a human.
Finally, he slowly turns his head to look at Asha.
---
The girl lying on the bed looks extremely weak.
Sweat has pooled on her forehead.
Her hair is messy, brushing against her cheeks.
Her breathing is a bit rapid.
The fever is still there.
Iren sits down slowly beside the bed.
His hand goes very carefully to Asha's forehead.
The moment he touches her, he realizes—
Hot.
The fever hasn't gone down yet.
"I should have come earlier..."
He says in a very low voice.
There is exhaustion in his tone.
And a suppressed sense of guilt.
---
For the past few days, only one decision was on his mind—
Staying away.
Because he thought it was the safest path.
But sitting here now, he realizes—
Some decisions seem very logical from the outside.
But from the inside, they are very cruel.
---
Right then, Asha stirs slightly.
Her eyes open slowly.
For a few seconds, her vision remains blurred.
The room seems to be spinning.
Her head feels heavy.
Then her eyes fall upon the person sitting in front of her.
And at that moment, her eyes widen.
"Iren...?"
Her voice is very weak.
Almost a whisper.
---
Iren remains silent for a few seconds.
Then, in a very calm voice, he says—
"Yes."
---
Asha stares for a while.
As if she cannot believe it.
Because yesterday—
This very man had told her to stay away.
A faint ache rises in her chest.
"But you said..."
She stops.
She cannot finish the sentence.
---
Silence descends into the room for a few seconds.
Only the faint sound of the old wall clock.
*Tick... Tick...*
---
Asha tries to sit up slowly.
But her head spins.
Her body trembles slightly.
Iren catches her immediately.
"Steady."
There is a firm caution in his voice.
---
Asha looks at him in surprise.
She knows this touch very well.
And this care, too.
The kind that Iren always tries to hide.
---
"But you said... to stay away," Asha says now in a calmer voice.
There is no resentment in her eyes.
Only a tired question.
---
Iren lowers his gaze.
He doesn't say anything for a few seconds.
A lot of thoughts are in his head.
But which one can be told?
Which one cannot?
About Dok?
The yellow flower?
That shadow?
No.
If Asha knew any of this, she would be even more terrified.
---
"I did say that..."
Iren says slowly.
Then he stops.
He doesn't finish the sentence.
---
Asha keeps looking at him.
Then she says very softly—
"Then why have you come now?"
The question is very gentle.
But hidden within it are many things.
Waiting.
Pain.
A tiny bit of hope.
---
Iren remains quiet for a while.
Then he hands her the glass of water kept on the table.
"Drink some water."
---
Asha takes the glass.
She drinks a little water slowly.
Her throat is dry.
Her head is still heavy.
---
She looks again.
"You didn't answer my question."
---
Iren finally looks at her.
There is exhaustion in his eyes.
"Because..."
He says slowly.
"You are sick."
---
Asha gives a weak smile.
"Only for that?"
---
Iren falls silent now.
A few seconds pass.
Then he says very slowly—
"I thought... you would be safe if I stayed away."
---
The air inside the room turns a bit heavy.
Asha keeps looking at him.
A strange tenderness appears in her eyes.
"Do you really think I am that weak?"
---
Iren says nothing.
---
Asha looks toward the window.
It's night outside.
The Dock Sector is covered in darkness.
---
"You know..."
She says slowly.
"I waited."
A slight jolt hits Iren's chest.
---
"I waited all day today," Asha says.
"I thought maybe you would come."
She smiles faintly.
"Then I thought... maybe you won't."
---
Iren slowly lowers his head.
Guilt piles up in his heart.
---
"I didn't come," he says in a very low voice.
---
Asha looks at him.
Tears have welled up in her eyes.
But she smiles.
"But in the end, you came."
---
The air inside the room softens a bit.
For a while, no one says anything.
Only silence.
A peaceful silence.
As if the misunderstandings of the past few days are slowly melting away.
---
After a while, Iren stands up.
He goes to stand by the window.
The night outside has deepened.
The wind is cold.
---
The thought of that shadow returns to his head.
That second shadow on the wall.
The yellow flower.
The door that closed on its own.
---
A feeling is very clear inside him.
Someone is still inside this house.
Someone is watching them.
Patiently.
Waiting.
---
Right then—
In the darkness of the corridor,
A very faint sound occurs.
*Khat.*
As if someone has started walking again.
Iren slowly turns his head toward the door.
The corridor is dark.
Silent.
But there is certainty in his eyes now.
He is not alone.
And this house is no longer safe.
---
**Chapter End.**