Some time later…
Rain poured mercilessly from the heavens as Talotkan dragged her weary body through the storm.
By the time she reached Yim's house, her clothes clung to her like a second skin, drenched and heavy.
She stood at the door, knocking softly at first.
"Yim…? Are you there?"
Her voice was almost swallowed by the roar of the rain.
No answer.
Not a single sound.
The storm grew fiercer, lightning tearing the sky open like a jagged wound.
Talotkan's knocks grew louder.....
Bang. Bang. Bang!
Each strike of her fist carried a weight of worry.
Still, no one came.
Only the voice of thunder replied, rolling through the darkened world.
Then....
A blinding flash!
A deafening crack!
Lightning struck the ground nearby, the force rattling the very air.
And with it.....
The house plunged into darkness.
Every light dead.
Every shadow stretching.
Talotkan fumbled for her torch, fingers trembling.
It flickered to life.....
Weak. Dim.
As if it too was afraid.
She swallowed hard.
"I… I need another way inside."
Moving quickly, she circled the house, her wet footsteps sloshing against the muddy earth.
That's when she saw it...
A window, left slightly ajar, whispering an unspoken invitation.
Without hesitation, she climbed in.
The air inside was heavy.
Silent.
So silent that even her own breath sounded like a scream.
And then… she saw her.
Yim.
Standing in the darkness, slowly… almost dreamlike… moving toward the door.
"Yim…" Talotkan whispered, relief loosening her chest.
She stepped closer, raising her hand to touch her....
To say something.....
Anything.....
But before a word could leave her lips, Yim's body went limp.
She collapsed like a broken doll, crumpling to the floor.
Talotkan froze.
Her heart thundered louder than the storm outside.
"Yim!"
She rushed forward, scooping her into her arms.....
So light. So fragile.
As if holding a shard of glass that could shatter with a single breath.
Carefully, she laid Yim on the sofa, her fingers trembling as she brushed the wet strands of hair from her pale face.
Then, she moved.....searching, desperate for light.
That's when her eyes caught something strange.
A bin.
Overflowing.
With candles.
Candles.
Dozens of them, piled carelessly as though discarded.
Her brows furrowed.
Who throws away candles?
But questions would have to wait.
She needed light.
One by one, she placed the candles around the room, their flames casting long, trembling shadows on the walls.
The soft glow wrapped the darkness in fragile warmth.
She dried her soaked clothes, her mind restless with unspoken fears.
She reheated the meal she had brought, carefully arranging it for Yim....
Clinging to small, normal tasks in a world that suddenly felt so wrong.
And then.....
As she turned, carrying the food back.....
Yim's eyes opened.
Wide. Wild.
And in them…
Terror.
She looked at Talotkan as though staring at something monstrous.
And the words trembled on her lips.....
"You…"