What would it be like if you saw someone else lying next to you in your sleep in the middle of the night?

When I got the new job, no one was happy. My mother said, “Don’t do this job, it’s not good to play with people’s deaths.” The people in the neighborhood laughed, and some whispered behind my back, “This boy has become a dom!”

But I didn’t care. It’s a government job—and then again, in a crematorium! Once you get in, your life is safe. I still didn’t understand what fear was. I thought, “Dead bodies don’t talk, so what’s there to be afraid of?”

My first day was rather full of curiosity. An old wooden house, the smell of smoke all around, a strange chill in the air. The big dom, my teacher, his name was Nitai Kaka. He was as simple as a cousin, but the look in his eyes made me shiver.

That day, I only saw—how they worked, how they burned the corpse, and how they quickly took out a bottle of alcohol and gulped it down.

I was surprised and said, “You think he drinks alcohol to forget this smell?”

Nitai Kaka laughed, “No, you fool, it’s not to forget the smell… You’ll understand why you drink after a few days.”

I was a straight boy, I had never touched alcohol. I thought, I came to learn a job, not to live in the shadow of the crematorium.

The first few days went well. But one night I had to go on duty. Kaka said, “Be a little careful today. The night is very strange. Keep the light on, and don’t forget to open the morgue door.”

I laughed and said, “What else will happen, Kaka! I’m not afraid.”

Kaka left without saying anything, just sighing.

That night, after eating, I went to the crematorium office and went to bed. It was 10:30 at night. The morgue was next door, with a wooden door and a little moonlight coming in through the window. Seeing that light falling on the window glass gave me goosebumps.

I couldn't sleep at all. I felt a kind of oppressive uneasiness in my chest. It was as if someone was silently looking at me—this was the feeling. It felt like my eyes had suddenly been opened. At that moment, the electricity went out. It was pitch black all around.

I didn't have a torch in my hand, nothing. The heat in the room felt stifling. Sweat was pouring down my face. As soon as I sat up, I suddenly heard—sounds coming from inside the morgue! A slow, scraping sound, as if someone was walking on the wooden floor.

At first, I thought a cat or a fox had entered. The window was half open. I dared to step forward and walk towards the door. Before opening the door, I heard—the sound of someone walking! Very slowly, like heavy footsteps.

My hands and feet went cold. Still, I felt like I needed to see. I opened the door and lit the torch in one leap—and then my heart leapt up to my throat!

A shadow figure... no, not a whole person, but half a burning face, no eyes, bones protruding through the rotten skin. Standing in a corner of the morgue.

He slowly turned before my eyes. Suddenly a distorted smile appeared on his lipless face, and with that smile the whole room seemed to be filled with cold ice. I ran towards the door, but the door had closed itself from the inside!

He was coming forward... I was going back... I had only one thought in my head—is this a dead soul? Or is he... that restless person, who is burning in the fire of revenge in this crematorium?

Right then I remembered what Nitai Kaka had said—“Why do I drink alcohol, you will understand one day.”

Note: If there are any minor mistakes in the story, please forgive me. If possible, please let me know via message. Finally, don't forget to comment, how did you like today's story?