It started with silence.
Arman had fallen asleep on the couch sometime after midnight, his laptop still open on the table beside him. The glow of the screen had dimmed, leaving the living room mostly dark except for the faint streetlight coming through the windows.
Samantha sat across from him.
Watching.
She didn't sleep.
She had tried earlier, closing her eyes the way she used to, but nothing happened. No drifting thoughts. No dreams. Just… stillness.
So she watched him instead.
Arman slept like someone who had lived too fast for too long — one arm hanging off the couch, hair messy, breathing slow but uneven.
A small smile tugged at her lips.
For someone who had known him less than a day, she already felt strangely comfortable around him.
Safe.
The word surprised her.
She hadn't felt safe in a long time.
The moment the thought crossed her mind....
Something inside her mind shifted.
Suddenly....
Darkness.
A car door closing.
The smell of something sharp and artificial.
Her body stiffened.
Her eyes widened.
Arman's voice faded away from her mind as the memory pulled her under.
She was sitting in the back seat.
The Uber.
Her phone was still in her hand.
She remembered texting her friend.
I'm on my way home.
The city lights slid across the car window as they drove.
Everything had seemed normal.
At first.
The driver hadn't said much.
That wasn't unusual.
But something had felt… wrong.
Samantha's breathing quickened slightly as the memory sharpened.
The car interior had been darker than usual.
And the driver, she couldn't see his face clearly.
Just the shape of his shoulders.
The back of his head.
She remembered leaning slightly forward.
"Excuse me," she had said politely.
No answer.
The driver kept driving.
Her stomach tightened.
"Sir?"
Still nothing.
The road outside had started looking unfamiliar.
The city lights had grown fewer.
Her heartbeat had begun to rise.
"This isn't the right way," she said.
The driver's hands tightened on the steering wheel.
That was when he finally spoke.
His voice was low.
Flat.
"You'll be home soon."
A cold chill ran through her.
The memory blurred again.
But another image forced its way through....
The rearview mirror.
For a brief second…
She had seen his eyes.
Watching her.
Not through the windshield.
Through the mirror.
Waiting.
Her breath caught.
Fear had flooded her chest instantly.
She had reached for the door handle.
Locked.
"Let me out," she had said, trying to keep her voice calm.
The car kept moving.
Faster now.
The city had disappeared behind them.
Dark roads.
Empty streets.
And the driver had started humming.
A quiet tune.
Soft.
Casual.
Like this was just another drive.
Back in the living room....
Samantha gasped.
Her body jerked slightly as the memory snapped away.
The air around her seemed to ripple faintly.
Arman stirred on the couch.
"…Samantha?"
She didn't answer.
Her eyes were wide, breathing uneven.
Arman sat up quickly.
"What happened?"
She stared at him.
Fear filled her expression.
"I remembered something."
His posture immediately straightened.
"What?"
"The car."
His heartbeat picked up.
"You remember the Uber?"
She nodded slowly.
"But it wasn't right."
Arman leaned forward.
"What do you mean?"
Samantha pressed her fingers to her temples as if trying to hold the memory in place.
"He didn't talk," she said.
"The driver."
"That's normal."
"No," she whispered.
"This was different."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"The road changed."
Arman's expression hardened.
"Changed how?"
"We left the city."
He felt a cold chill run down his spine.
"Did you see his face?"
Samantha shook her head slowly.
"No."
"Nothing?"
Her breathing slowed slightly as she searched her memory again.
Then, her eyes widened.
"The mirror."
"What mirror?"
"The rearview mirror."
Arman leaned closer.
"What about it?"
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"He was watching me."
The room fell silent.
Arman's jaw tightened.
"What did he look like?"
Samantha tried to remember.
The image flickered in her mind.
Dark.
Blurry.
But one thing stood out.
"His eyes."
Arman waited.
Samantha swallowed.
"They didn't look surprised."
"What do you mean?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"Like he already knew."
"Knew what?"
Her gaze met his.
"That something bad was going to happen."
A heavy silence settled between them.
Arman leaned back slowly.
His mind was racing now.
This wasn't random.
The driver had taken her somewhere.
Somewhere away from the city.
Which meant.....
"This wasn't a robbery," he muttered.
Samantha frowned.
"What?"
Arman looked at her.
"This was planned."
The realization hung in the air.
And somewhere deep in Samantha's memory.....
Something darker was still waiting to surface.