The last explosion faded into a trembling echo that crawled along the apartment walls, making the glass windows shiver and the lights flicker like frightened eyes. Ababeel instinctively stepped back, her pulse knocking hard against her ribs. The air tasted metallic—fear and dust.
Habeel, however—
Instead of freezing, screaming, praying, or doing anything remotely human—
Snapped into motion like a soldier jolted awake by muscle memory.
"THE DOORS—THE DOORS—LOCK THE DOORS!" he barked to absolutely no one but himself, launching across the apartment like a panicked security guard with a caffeine overdose.
Ababeel blinked in disbelief. "What—? Why—? IT'S NOT EVEN YOUR HOUSE!"
But he was already in full sprint.
CLICK—front door locked.CLICK—kitchen door locked. CLICK CLICK—balcony door double-locked.BANG—some random cupboard slammed and locked for good measure.
Ababeel stood frozen in the centre of the living room, watching him whirl around like a squirrel having a nervous breakdown.
"…Are you okay?" she whispered.
"No," he snapped, breath sharp, "but I'm FUNCTIONING!"
And then—
A sound rose from the lower floors.
Not a simple noise.
Chaos.
Heavy boots colliding with stairs. Doors crashing open. People shouting—panic, pain, urgency. A woman screaming. Something like a raid swelling upward through the building, coming closer, shaking the floorboards under their feet.
Habeel stopped.
His face drained to a pale sheet.
"Oh no… oh no nonono—" The words leaked out of him like a broken faucet. Then louder, urgent: "Okay, we need to HIDE."
"WE??" Ababeel pointed furiously at herself. "Why are you including me in your criminal hide-and-seek—?!"
But he had already sprinted to the electrical panel.
CLICK.
Darkness swallowed the apartment whole. Lights dead. Air thick. Silence becomes a living thing.
"H-Hey—WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Ababeel squeaked, hands fumbling in the black.
"Shh!" he hissed back.
"NO! Don't shh me! SHH YOU!"
Footsteps thundered up the building. Something slammed below them. A cry echoed through the stairwell.
Habeel panicked.
He lunged toward her and grabbed her wrist.
She shrieked, voice cracking, "HELP!! HE'S A PERVERT! HE'S A—"
"WILL YOU STOP?!" he hissed, mortified.
She did not stop.
"HE'S TRYING TO KIDNAP M—"
Suddenly—
He flung open the nearest closet door and shoved her inside.
She stumbled, hitting a wall of winter jackets, the scent of old lavender sachets dusting her face. She turned, mouth open to unleash another scream—
But he jumped in after her, yanked the door shut, and clamped a hand over her mouth.
They were pressed together, shoulder to shoulder, chest to chest, breath tangled in the cramped darkness.
"MMMPH!!" she protested, eyes blazing like tiny lanterns.
"Shhh!" he whisper-yelled, his breath trembling against her cheek.
"MMMMM!!" She kicked his shin.
"Look—LISTEN." His tone shifted—sharp, fragile, real. He pointed toward the thin slice of light beneath the closet door.
Outside, the chaos grew louder.
Men barking orders. Metal tools against doors. Bodies are being dragged. Neighbours are crying out. Heavy boots trudging up the staircase—each step deliberate, closer, hunting.
Something real. Something dangerous. Something far beyond the two of them.
His voice dipped, trembling but steady, brushing her ear:
"Just this once… can you please shut up long enough to hear what's happening?"
Her eyes widened.
The anger melted into something colder.Rawer.Fear.
She swallowed hard.
And for the first time since he climbed onto her balcony like an uninvited spider—
She listened.
Together, trapped in the suffocating dark, they stayed pressed against each other as the sound of the raid rose on the stairs.
Closer.Closer.Very. Very. Close.