shhh it's not you, it's me

Chapter 1: The Whisper in the Dark

The air felt thick, like it was pushing down on me, making it hard to breathe. My heart was racing, pounding in my chest as I crouched in the cupboard. Every small movement made the wood creak beneath me, but the noise felt swallowed by the pounding of my own heart. The darkness around me wasn’t peaceful—it was heavy, almost suffocating. This place, once a safe space, now felt like a prison. I wasn’t alone. I could feel it. There was something there. Something watching me from the shadows. Cold, menacing, and close enough that I could almost feel its presence breathing down my neck. I didn’t know what it was, but the air itself seemed to thicken with its hunger, its intent.  The cupboard was tiny, too small to escape from, but all I could do was try to stay hidden. I wrapped my arms around my legs, huddling into myself, trying to make myself as small as possible. I needed to stay quiet, stay still, and maybe—just maybe—it would leave me alone.
But then, I heard it.
A breath. Soft, barely audible, but there. It was so close that I froze, my body stiff with fear. It wasn’t just in my head—I wasn’t imagining this. The air felt colder, the shadows around me darker. I strained my ears to listen, my pulse loud in my ears. Was it above me? Behind me? Was it right next to me? The silence that followed felt deafening, like everything had stopped, like the world was holding its breath. I squeezed my eyes shut, praying for it to be over, for the nightmare to end.
But one name kept coming to mind—Tina.
Her face appeared in my mind, her smile bright and warm, a reminder of something normal in a world that had gone wrong. Tina Malhotra. My crush, my reason to hold on. Even in this moment of terror, thinking about her helped calm the storm in my chest, even just a little. She had always seemed out of reach, like a dream I could never touch, but in that moment, she was the only thing keeping me grounded.
Then, as if something had heard my thoughts, a voice whispered my name.
“Aarush.”
It wasn’t just any voice. It was dark, cold, like it came from somewhere deep and evil. The sound of it sent a chill through me, freezing me in place. It wasn’t calling me like a friend. It
was calling me like a predator about to strike. I could hardly breathe. My heart was in my throat, and every part of me wanted to run. But I knew it was useless. If I moved, it would find me. If I stayed, it would find me. I was trapped either way.
Suddenly, the cupboard door swung open with a violent crash, slamming against the wall. A cold gust of air hit my face, and there—standing in the doorway—was something that shouldn’t exist. A dark figure, its eyes glowing with a horrible light, staring at me with pure malice. I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. The terror had stolen my voice. The shadow moved closer, and I could feel the darkness swallowing me.
And in that moment, I knew there was no way out. No escape.