I stood frozen in front of the door.
My heart was beating so loud, it felt like I could hear it echo in the room.
"See you tonight."
That voice.
It was the same.
Exactly the same.
"This… this isn't real," I whispered to myself.
But my hands were shaking.
And deep down…
I knew something was wrong.
Slowly, I reached for the door handle.
It was cold.
Too cold.
Like it had been touched by someone else just moments ago.
I took a deep breath…
And pulled the door open.
The hallway outside my room was empty.
Silent.
Just like always.
"No one's here…" I said, trying to calm myself.
I stepped out and looked around.
Nothing.
No movement.
No sound.
I let out a small sigh of relief.
"Maybe I'm just overthinking."
But as I turned to go back inside—
I noticed something.
On the floor…
Right outside my door…
There were marks.
Footprints.
My breath caught in my throat.
They weren't normal.
They looked… smudged.
Like someone had walked through dust or ash.
And they were leading away from my room.
I stared at them for a few seconds.
My mind telling me to ignore it.
To go back inside.
To forget everything.
But my feet moved on their own.
Following the footprints.
Step by step.
The house felt different.
Heavier.
As if the air itself was watching me.
The footprints led me to the living room.
And then…
They stopped.
Right in the middle of the room.
I looked around.
Nothing.
No one.
"Okay… this is getting creepy," I muttered.
Just as I was about to turn back—
The lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then went out.
Darkness swallowed everything.
I couldn't see anything.
But I could feel it again.
That presence.
Right behind me.
I stopped breathing.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
I turned around.
And there it was.
The shadow.
Standing in the corner of the room.
Darker than the darkness itself.
"You woke up too early," it said softly.
My body went cold.
"You… you're not real," I whispered.
The shadow stepped closer.
Its shape shifting slightly.
Like it was trying to become something.
Someone.
"Then why can you see me?" it asked.
I had no answer.
My mind was screaming at me to run.
But I couldn't move.
"You're not supposed to wake up yet," it continued.
"What do you want from me?" I finally asked, my voice breaking.
The shadow stopped just a few steps away from me.
For a moment…
Everything went silent.
And then it said—
"I want you to remember."
Suddenly—
The room spun.
My vision blurred.
And flashes of something I didn't recognize filled my mind.
A road.
That same endless road.
A figure standing far away.
And me…
Walking toward it.
"No… no, I don't remember this!" I shouted.
The shadow's voice turned colder.
"You will."
Everything went black again.
I gasped—
And opened my eyes.
I was back in my bed.
Morning light filled the room.
Birds chirping outside.
Everything normal.
It felt like a dream again.
But this time…
I didn't feel relieved.
Slowly, I sat up.
Trying to process everything.
And then I noticed something that made my heart stop.
My feet…
Were dirty.
Covered in the same ash-like dust.