Austerity

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Chapter 1.

Third person's pov

All Roohi wanted to do right now was to cuddle with her teddy in her cosy bed. But she is stuck with this old-ass grumpy principal in his cabin discussing a seminar upcoming in a few weeks. It's already 4 pm, two hours since all teachers have departed for their homes.

She is so tired that she can just doze off in the cabin but still, this cruel man just can't notice it. He is just continuously babbling about this seminar which is held after three weeks. What's the point of discussing it now? It can be done later.

Roohi was cursing him in her mind when finally, he blurted out those were like heaven to her.

"Okay, now you can depart."

Roohi just said thank you and made her way to the staff room to collect her things.

After half an hour, she reached her home.

After a long day, Roohi returned home to an empty house because her parents had gone to Delhi for an emergency. Feeling tired, she wanted to collapse onto her cozy bed right away. But she realized she felt sticky from work, so she decided to take a hot shower first.

The warm water felt soothing as it washed away the tiredness from her body. After spending some time under the shower, she felt refreshed and clean. However, when she finally climbed into bed, she found it hard to fall asleep despite feeling tired.

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"Help me"

"Just hold my hand"

"Don't give up"

"No"

Roohi woke up suddenly, her forehead damp with sweat. She took a moment to calm herself down.

"It's just a dream, just a dream," she reassured herself.

Roohi frequently experienced hearing voices, especially those of children, but she could never see their faces. Although it wasn't necessarily a nightmare, the sudden scream at the end always left her feeling unsettled and frightened.

Roohi sighed and glanced at the clock.

10 pm

Roohi had managed to catch about 4-5 hours of sleep, thanks to the dear old principal (note the sarcasm). Feeling too lazy to cook, she opted to order food online instead. Grabbing her phone from the nightstand, she placed an order for a burger, fries, and a cold drink.

While waiting for her food to arrive, Roohi passed the time by scrolling through her social media feeds. After a while, she decided to watch a movie to make the most of her free time.

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It had been an hour since Roohi placed her order, and her food hadn't arrived yet. Growing increasingly impatient, she opened the delivery app to track the whereabouts of the delivery person. To her surprise, the app showed that the delivery had been stopped near a barren building for the past 30 minutes, making Roohi suspicious.

Just as she began to overthink the situation, she noticed the delivery icon on the map start moving again, accompanied by a message saying the delivery would arrive in 10 minutes. Still feeling hungry and a bit wary, Roohi continued to wait.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, snapping Roohi out of her thoughts. She quickly slipped on her home slippers and hurried downstairs. Starving and anxious for her food, she cautiously opened the door just enough to peek outside. There stood the delivery boy on the porch, holding a white bag in his hands.