Episode 06:
The rain had stopped by morning, but the air still felt heavy.
Alok left for work early, hoping the streets would be empty.
They weren't.
Two blocks from his apartment, he noticed him again.
Black coat. Hood low. Same height. Same stillness.
Alok slowed his steps. The man didn't move, didn't turn just stood in the middle of the sidewalk as if waiting for someone to pass.
Alok crossed the street without looking back.
Work was a blur. The clanging machines, the smell of hot metal, the grease under his fingernails none of it could drown out the image of that hooded figure.
When the shift ended, Alok decided to take the back stairwell instead of the main entrance. The stairwell was narrow, dimly lit by a single flickering bulb.
His footsteps echoed too loud.
Halfway down, he froze.
Someone was breathing below him. Slow. Uneven.
Alok gripped the railing. "Hello?"
The breathing stopped.
Then… a whisper, so faint he thought it was the building settling.
"Alok… Fanando…"
His chest tightened.
No one here knew his full name. No one but
The lights went out.