chapter2: The shadow in her room
736 Words
Miracle stretched beneath her blanket, letting out a quiet sigh as pale morning light slipped through the curtains. For a moment, she simply lay there, smiling.
Silence.
No alarms. No traffic. No shouting neighbors.
Just peace.
Her gaze wandered around the tiny apartment she had moved into three days ago. The furniture was simple, almost bare. A small table stood near the window, a worn couch occupied one corner, and a neatly folded blanket rested at the foot of her bed.
It wasn't much.
But it was hers.
For the first time ever, she finally has her own place,she had a place she could truly call home.
A faint smile touched her lips as she slipped her feet into her slippers and padded toward the kitchen. The apartment was so quiet she could hear the soft hum of the refrigerator.
She glanced at the clock.
8:45 a.m.
Her smile vanished.
"What?"
Her heart nearly stopped.
"No, no, no!"
She grabbed her phone from the counter and checked the time again.
Still 8:45.
She had overslept.
The peaceful morning she had been enjoying instantly disappeared.
"This is not happening," she muttered.
Rushing through her shower, she threw on a blue blouse, gathered her things, and hurried out the door.
As she locked her apartment, the man from the neighboring unit stepped outside.
He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with kind eyes and a calm smile.
"Morning," he said with a small nod.
"Morning," Miracle replied quickly.
She returned the smile before practically running down the stairs.
The entire walk to work, she worried about being late.
---
By evening, her fears had been proven wrong.
Not only had she arrived on time, but the day had passed surprisingly well.
As Miracle walked home, the sky above was painted in shades of orange and pink. A cool breeze brushed against her face.
For once, life felt normal.
No stress.
No problems.
No endless responsibilities.
Just her.
She climbed the stairs to her apartment building and reached into her bag for her keys.
As she searched, something caught her eye.
A small envelope lay on the floor directly in front of her door.
Miracle frowned.
She bent down and picked it up.
There was no stamp.
No address.
No sender.
Nothing.
Only her name written across the front in thick red ink.
A chill crawled up her spine.
Slowly, she opened it.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
Blank.
Completely blank.
Miracle stared at it for several seconds.
Then she laughed nervously.
"Kids."
She crumpled the paper and tossed it into the trash bin inside her apartment.
Just a prank.
Nothing more.
At least, that's what she told herself.
---
Later that evening, after a long shower and a simple dinner, Miracle settled onto her bed with a cup of tea.
The strange envelope had already begun to fade from her thoughts.
Outside, the city buzzed with distant life.
Inside, everything was peaceful.
Comforting.
Safe.
Eventually, she changed into her pajamas, switched off the lights, and climbed beneath her blanket.
The room sank into darkness.
A few minutes later, she drifted to sleep.
---
Something woke her.
At first, she wasn't sure what.
Her eyes opened slowly.
The room was silent.
Too silent.
Miracle lay still, staring into the darkness.
Then she saw it.
A shadow stood beside her bed.
Her breath caught.
The figure didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't make a sound.
It simply stood there.
Watching.
Miracle's heart slammed against her ribs.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
This isn't real.
I'm dreaming.
I have to be dreaming.
After several seconds, she forced herself to look again.
The space beside her bed was empty.
Nothing was there.
A shaky laugh escaped her lips.
"See? Just a dream."
She turned onto her side and pulled the blanket higher.
But sleep refused to come.
An uncomfortable feeling settled over her.
The unmistakable feeling that someone was watching.
Slowly, she glanced toward the corner of the room.
Nothing.
She checked the doorway.
Nothing.
She looked toward the window.
Nothing.
Yet the feeling remained.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Like unseen eyes following her every movement.
Eventually, exhaustion won.
Her eyelids grew heavy.
And as she drifted back to sleep, she could have sworn she heard something.
A whisper.
So faint she couldn't make out the words.
But it sounded disturbingly close.
As if someone was standing right beside her bed.
Watching.
Waiting.
- Writer
