Why she kills

06

As the days crept by, Iyaan and Tenuk found themselves caught in a relentless cycle of routine and turmoil. Their daily lives unfolded with a monotonous rhythm, yet the events of that fateful night continued to haunt the recesses of their minds like lingering specters.

Seconds stretched into minutes as they navigated through their classes, their attention divided between lectures and the unnerving memories that lurked just beneath the surface. The passage of time seemed to slow to a crawl as they struggled to reconcile the normalcy of their everyday lives with the horrors they had witnessed.

Minutes melted into hours, each moment tinged with a sense of unease that refused to dissipate. In the quiet moments between classes or during study sessions, their thoughts inevitably drifted back to the dimly lit corridor and the gruesome scene that had unfolded before them. The weight of their shared trauma pressed down on them like an oppressive force, casting a shadow over even the simplest of tasks.

Hours blurred into days, the relentless march of time carrying them inexorably towards the end of the week. Despite their best efforts to bury their fears beneath layers of distraction, the events of that night continued to linger, a persistent reminder of the fragility of their existence.

Finally, the end of the week arrived. Although their busy lives kept them occupied at the edges, the events from their part-time job remained a constant source of torment, lurking just beneath the surface of their consciousness.

***
Water enveloped Tenuk like a shroud, its cool embrace clinging to his skin as he waded forward with hesitant steps. Each movement sent ripples cascading outwards, distorting the reflection that stared back at him from the surface below. With a curious tilt of his head, Tenuk bent down, peering into the liquid mirror that lay before him.

In the shifting depths, he saw himself, but not as he knew himself to be. The figure reflected back at him bore brown hair instead of his usual black locks, a subtle alteration that sent a shiver down his spine. As he watched, transfixed, the mirrored image drew closer, its features contorted in a silent murmur that eluded Tenuk's comprehension.

The water seemed to thicken around him, its once-clear surface darkening with an ominous hue. Suddenly, the reflection began to emerge from its two-dimensional state, the brown-haired version of Tenuk breaking free from the confines of the liquid realm. His drenched hair hung limply around his face, casting eerie shadows in the dim light.

Tenuk watched in horror as the scene unfolded before him. The brown-haired doppelganger shifted, its eyes locking onto Tenuk's with an intensity that sent a chill down his spine. Then, in a grotesque twist, the reflection's features began to shift, reverting back to Tenuk's familiar black hair and dark eyes.

But the horror was far from over. With a sickening lurch, the water around Tenuk's throat constricted, a vice-like grip tightening around his windpipe. He gasped for air as his black hair began to shed in clumps, the strands falling away like rotten tendrils. Beneath the surface, his limbs began to contort and decay, the flesh sloughing away in a grotesque display of disintegration.

Panic surged through Tenuk as he struggled against the suffocating grip of the water, his mind reeling with terror at the grotesque transformation unfolding before him. With each passing moment, his body withered and decayed, consumed by the relentless onslaught of the watery abyss.

***

The room was shrouded in darkness, the only source of light emanating from the lamp on the end table beside the bed. Iyaan, roused from his sleep by Tenuk's abrupt awakening, fumbled for the lamp's string, pulling it with a weary hand. The light flickered momentarily before casting a dim glow across the room.