The Weight of Silence

Ghosts of the past

Mateo left before the first light touched the horizon, leaving behind only the faint scent of his cologne on the pillows. Elara woke up to an empty bed, her heart heavy with the weight of his absence. It was Saturday. The memories of last night lingered like a bitter aftertaste, but she knew she couldn't dwell on them. Not today. She needed to escape, to forget—even if only for a few hours.

As the coffee brewed, filling her apartment with its comforting aroma, Elara picked up her phone and called her friend, Irina. Irina was always up for fun, and Elara needed that now more than ever. She craved the rush of music, the loud, chaotic energy of a concert, the feeling of being lost in a crowd of strangers. That was how she had discovered concerts in the capital—a world where the sound drowned out her thoughts, and she could forget, even if just for a moment.

Today, she needed that distraction more than ever.

By 5:00 PM, Elara was ready to leave her apartment. She didn't even consider calling Mateo. Her feelings were too tangled—love, heartbreak, confusion. Maybe some space would help her see things more clearly. Or maybe, she just needed time to feel like herself again.

The Raven was unlike any place she had been to before. Dark, gritty, with walls covered in posters of bands she loved and others she had yet to discover. The air buzzed with anticipation, and the stage was set for a local rock band that Elara had heard about. Irina and she found a spot near the front, and as the music started, everything else seemed to fade away.

The heavy riffs of the guitar, the pounding of the drums—it was exactly what she needed. For a brief moment, the weight of her heartache lifted, and Elara lost herself in the music. She danced, laughed, and felt a sense of freedom she hadn't felt in weeks. It was the first time in a long time that she didn't think about Mateo. The sound, the energy—it drowned out the thoughts, and for those few hours, Elara was free.

***

Elara laid on the cold pavement, her body frozen, her mind unable to process the horror that had just unfolded. The pain, both physical and emotional, was overwhelming, yet she couldn't even scream. Her entire world had collapsed into a suffocating silence, the street around her eerily still. There were no footsteps, no voices—just the distant hum of the city that carried on, oblivious to the shattered girl lying broken in its shadows.

She tried to move, but her body felt like it no longer belonged to her. Everything ached, but the worst pain came from the inside—the deep, soul-crushing anguish that ripped through her like a storm. Her breaths came in shallow gasps, her chest tightening as she struggled to find air. She wanted to scream, to cry out for help, but no sound escaped her lips.

She was trapped in this moment, and it felt endless.

The sky above was as dark and empty as her heart, and for a brief second, she thought the darkness might consume her entirely. The stars she had wished for earlier were absent now, as if they had abandoned her in this nightmare.

Tears streamed down her face, her vision blurred from the sobs she couldn't control. She had always believed she was strong, capable, unbreakable—but tonight, she felt nothing but powerless. She had fought, she had tried to run, but it hadn't been enough. Now, she was left alone in the dark, broken and defiled, her integrity stolen in the most violent way possible.

Minutes passed, or maybe it was hours—time had lost all meaning. She remained curled up on the cold ground, her body trembling from shock. Every inch of her screamed in pain, but it was the silence of the empty street that terrified her the most. There was no one to call out to, no one to help her. She was alone.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she forced herself to move. Her body protested, every movement agonizing, but she had to get up. She had to leave this place. Slowly, she gathered enough strength to pull herself up to her knees, then to her feet, her legs shaky and weak beneath her. She clutched at her coat, wrapping it tightly around her as if it could shield her from the world outside, from the nightmare that had just taken place.