Behind Closed-eyes

Maya's apartment was silent when the attack came. She was brushing her teeth when the lights flickered and went out. The air grew cold, and an oppressive silence filled the room. She turned slowly, her breath visible in the frigid air. The faint hum of the city outside was gone, replaced by a suffocating stillness.

A black fog seeped under the door, swirling and coalescing into a form both formless and menacing. It moved toward her with unnatural grace, its presence suffocating. Maya backed away, her heart pounding in her chest. She fumbled for her phone on the counter, but her hands were shaking too much to grab it. The entity reached for her, its touch icy and burning at once. She screamed as symbols burned into the walls, their jagged shapes pulsating with an eerie, otherworldly glow.

The fog seemed alive, its tendrils reaching out, wrapping around her like chains. It whispered in a guttural language, the words incomprehensible but filled with malice. Maya's vision blurred as she struggled against its grip, her mind racing. Was this what Felix had been warning her about? The shadows he'd spoken of?

Her phone vibrated on the counter, the screen flashing with a call from Mr. Park. She couldn't bring herself to answer, frozen in place as the fog swirled around her, its whispers growing louder. Just as she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness, the fog dissipated, leaving Maya trembling on the floor.

When Mr. Park arrived minutes later, his face was grim as he surveyed the cryptic symbols. He took photos, cross-referencing them with the notes on his desk. The symbols matched an ancient curse, one tied to Maya's ancestry.

"It's trying to mark you," he said, his voice low. "You need to stay strong. The symbols are a warning—or perhaps a threat."

Maya nodded, her hands still shaking. "What do we do?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Mr. Park's expression darkened. "We need to uncover the source of the curse. And we need to do it quickly."