Bound by Darkness

Chapter 12

It was a quiet Saturday morning, the kind that usually brought Sahar comfort. The small apartment was filled with the familiar sounds of her weekend routine: the gentle hum of the washing machine, the clatter of dishes as she cleaned up after breakfast, and the low drone of the TV in the living room. The sun streamed in through the window, casting a soft glow on the neatly organized space. For Sahar, weekends like this were a welcome respite from the hectic pace of her work life. Today was no different, or so it seemed.

She had decided to use the day to clean and cook something nice for lunch. Her kitchen smelled faintly of the spices she had prepared earlier, and she was focused on wiping down the counters, moving through her chores with the precision she was known for. The sounds of a news broadcast played in the background, nothing out of the ordinary. It was just another day.

Or so she thought.

As Sahar reached for the duster, a sudden shift in the tone of the news anchor's voice caught her attention. There was something about it—an urgency that made her pause mid-motion. She glanced over her shoulder at the TV, her eyes landing on the screen.

"...the body was found near the North Side lake this morning," the newscaster was saying. "Police have identified the victim as a young man in his twenties. He was brutally murdered, and authorities are still searching for leads."

Sahar's heart skipped a beat. The camera cut to an image of the victim's face—an all-too-familiar face.

Ben.

The man from the club. The one who had danced with her, who had flirted with her so casually. The one who had vanished when the lights went out.

Sahar froze, her pulse racing as her mind struggled to make sense of what she was seeing. Ben was dead? Murdered? The room suddenly felt too small, too quiet, despite the blaring sound from the TV. Her chest tightened, panic rising swiftly inside her as the reality of the news sank in.

The news anchor continued, her voice detached as she relayed the gruesome details. "The body was discovered early this morning, and initial reports suggest that the victim had been severely beaten before being left at the scene. Authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward."

Sahar felt the blood drain from her face. Her hands, now trembling, dropped the duster onto the floor. She stood there, staring at the screen, unable to tear her eyes away from the image of Ben. The same man who had been so alive that night, who had danced and laughed and looked at her with those mischievous eyes. Now, he was gone—brutally taken from the world in a way she could hardly comprehend.

Her mind raced back to that night at the club, to the moment when the lights had flickered back on and Ben had disappeared without a trace. She had thought little of it at the time, assuming he had left or moved on to another part of the club. But now... Now she knew the truth.

He hadn't just left. He had been taken.

Sahar's legs felt weak, and she stumbled over to the couch, collapsing onto it as her breath came in shallow gasps. Her heart pounded in her chest, her mind spinning with fear and confusion. This couldn't be real. How could this be happening? What had happened to Ben after they danced? Why had someone killed him?

She felt a rising tide of dread, the memory of the message from the unknown number flashing in her mind: Be careful.

Whoever had sent that message—had they known this would happen? Had they been watching her, watching Ben?

A cold chill ran down her spine as the pieces of that night began to fall into place. The strange feeling she had had at the club, the way someone had seemed to be watching her, the message warning her... It was all connected. But how? And why?

She glanced down at her phone on the coffee table. Should she call someone? The police? But what would she even say? She didn't know anything—she hadn't seen anything that could help them. All she had was the sinking feeling in her gut and the chilling realization that she had danced with a man who was now dead.

Her hands shook as she reached for the remote and muted the TV. The silence in the room was deafening. The once cozy and familiar apartment now felt suffocating, like the walls were closing in on her. Every shadow seemed darker, every creak of the building more sinister.

Sahar pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as if to shield herself from the overwhelming fear crashing over her. She tried to calm her breathing, but it was no use. The panic was taking hold, her mind running wild with dark thoughts. What if she had stayed with Ben that night? What if something had happened to her?

She shook her head, trying to push the terrifying thoughts away, but the fear lingered, tightening its grip on her. She couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her, even now.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed, startling her out of her spiraling thoughts. Her heart leapt into her throat as she grabbed it, her fingers fumbling over the screen. It was a message—from Milane.

"Hey, girl! Just checking in. You good?"

Sahar stared at the message for a moment, her mind still clouded with fear. Milane didn't know. She hadn't told her friend about Ben, about the message from the unknown number, about the strange sense of dread that had been following her ever since that night. She had kept it all to herself, not wanting to worry anyone.

Now, she wasn't sure if she could keep it to herself anymore.

But instead of telling Milane the truth, she forced herself to type a reply. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just relaxing at home. You?"

The reply came quickly. "All good! Thinking we should hit another club this or the next weekend, what do you think?"

Sahar's stomach turned at the thought. She couldn't imagine stepping foot in a club again, not after everything that had happened. But she didn't want to worry Milane.

"Maybe next," she typed back, her fingers shaking. "We'll see."

or maybe never she wanted to say but couldn't.

She put the phone down, her mind still racing. The truth was, she didn't know what to do. All she knew was that her world had shifted, and nothing felt safe anymore.