Devendra walked home slowly, his small backpack heavy, though it carried nothing important. Every step felt like walking through mud—slow, sticky, suffocating. The rain from the previous day had left the streets wet, reflecting the gray sky above, mocking him with its calmness.
He wanted to scream.
He wanted to run.
He wanted to stop feeling this.
But there was no stopping.
Not yet.
Because the girl… the shadow that haunted his dreams… she had learned his name.
Even now, hours after school, her whispers crawled through the edges of his thoughts.
Soft, almost melodic. But venomous. Always reminding him. Always touching the inside of him, though invisible.
"Devendra…"
The sound made his skin crawl. His fingers dug into the straps of his backpack, nails pressing into palms, because it was the only thing he could control.
He entered his house. Empty. Mom at work. The silence pressed down. He dropped his bag and sat on the floor, head between knees.
The whispers grew louder.
Every shadow in the room stretched, reaching for him.
He tried to close his eyes. Tried to will them away.
But she was already there.
Not in the room. Not even fully in this world.
Yet somehow, she was everywhere.
Devendra felt it first in his chest—a sharp, impossible pressure.
Then along his spine.
His ribs burned as if invisible fingers pressed from the inside out.
"I'm not letting you go, Devendra…"
He screamed.
Not loud enough to alert anyone, but enough for his own body to flinch, convulsing.
His heart raced.
The world had become a cage.
Every heartbeat was a hammer against invisible bars.
He tried to crawl away. Tried to escape. But the floor, the walls, even the air seemed to trap him.
"Devendra…"
Each repetition of his name tore him further. He wanted to vanish.
Wanted the ground to swallow him.
Wanted… freedom.
But she wouldn't allow it.
The shadows shifted. Her presence solidified into the faintest outline of a girl. Hair long and flowing, movement like smoke. Eyes he never saw, but felt everywhere. Nails sharp as if they could pierce him through thought alone. She tilted her head, laughing softly.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Devendra's body jerked. He tried to run, but his legs didn't move. Not really. Not fast enough. Not far enough.
"I've been waiting for you… for so long…"
The room felt infinite, walls stretching, ceiling rising. Air thickened. His chest burned more.
And then it happened:
A flash of pain, sharper than anything before. Not blood. Not cuts. Just the impossible sensation of being touched inside, as if she was inside him, marking him.
He collapsed onto the floor, gasping, curling himself into the smallest shape he could.
"You belong to me…"
She was gone in a blink.
The room quieted.
Devendra lay there, trembling. His breath uneven. Body trembling from the memory of her touch—still lingering like fire under his skin.
He dared not move.
He dared not breathe.
Because she would return.
And she would always remember his name.
Devendra understood now: there was no escape.
Not today. Not tomorrow.
Not ever.