THE CROW

Chapter 1

"The night is long. I have been thinking most of the time. What it means to have a consciousness. I am in my bed. In a half-sitting position. The doorbell peals. I wear my sandals. Walk up to the door. Unlatch it. Open it. I switch on the lights. There is not a person but a shadow. I know him. I let him in. He sits on the sofa. It's late, isn't it? Sure is. So, you were reading? No, just thinking. About? Forget it, it's boring. Okay, if you say so. Say, you've seen The Matrix, haven't you? I have. Ever heard of the Human Instrumentality Project? Neon Genesis Evangelion? You gotcha. So? See the simi... and my voice drops to zero volume even though I am still talking. Almost as if the air has turned to vacuum. He gets up. Reaches for a matchbox. Tries lighting a match. After a few strikes, we realize it really is vacuum. Then, how come we are breathing? We find the window open. Where is the air? Where is the light? Except the ones in my two rooms, there isn't a single light anywhere. Without light, there can be no shadow. Am I a shadow just like him? Does this world consist of just the two of us? Or are they all concrete that they do not need light for their existence? I turn to him. He says nothing. He stands like a lifeless statue made of black marble. I can't even sense his eyes. I reach out to touch his face. And then, it all falls apart. The floor cracks. The air cracks. There are cracks everywhere. A crow comes in through the window. Enters my sleeve. I fall. Fall. Fall. Without end. And..."

"It's alright. You need not speak anymore. I understand you need medical attention."

"But doctor, you do not understand. This thing. It is not a dream. It actually happens. And I have cracks. Here. Here. Look." And he pulls up his sleeve and shows him his cracks. They are like dark cuts in his flesh but instead of blood, there's a dense, untraceable blackness.

"What is this?!" The doctor jumps from his seat in horror.

"Please, cure me, doctor."

"I have other patients, please leave."

"But doctor, I need to fix this. I have no other way!"

"I am calling security."

"What?! Why?!"

"Leave! Right now!"

Naoki leaves the hospital dejected and angry. But also, miserably helpless. What is he supposed to do now? Where is he supposed to go?

He reaches the autorickshaw stand. There is only one autorickshaw there. And weirdly, it is completely black. No yellow stripe. No front lights. Even the number plate is black. But the numbers are darker. You can spot three 6s. If you look carefully enough. Naoki knows he has to avoid this. But is unable to do so. He gets in. The driver is a toy. More like a puppet. Where to? Gordon Square. And the nightmarish ride starts.