UNNAMED - CHAPTER 2 STRUGGLE

UNNAMED

Chapter 2: STRUGGLE — A Dance Between Shadows and Promises

Somewhere between the pages of life and death,

I lost the part of me that still believed in morning.

And tonight… the train moves, the world changes —

but I remain stitched to the same broken hour.

The view outside was constantly changing — different trees, different buildings. As I sat by the window, I thought to myself, everything is in a constant state of change. Trees grow, dead leaves fall, and yet, I feel like I’m stuck on the same page of life. When will I move on to the next page?

“You shouldn’t wish like that, my baby girl,” a voice interrupted my thoughts. “As for change… don’t you think you’ve changed quite a lot?”

“How’s that, Mr. All-Knowing?” I replied, slightly amused.

“Haha, all-knowing? I don’t know a thing about even myself. How could I be all-knowing?”

“Huh, you always act superior to me. What happened to you suddenly?” I asked, surprised.

“Seems like you’re in a good mood, chattering to me like this.”

“There isn’t any particular reason,” I sighed.

“Life hitting you hard, girl?” he asked, a touch of concern in his voice.

I was about to answer when a new voice interrupted our conversation. Someone next to me asked for directions. After helping him, I stared at my reflection in the window. For a moment, I realized my eyes had started trailing over myself. It wasn’t a pleasing sight. I felt like an old man coming home after being lost outside, trying to find his way back.

“Ain’t it peaceful to have a home?” the voice in my head hissed, like a snake.

“Sure, it is,” I muttered, not really paying attention to my words.

“You seem lost. What happened, girl?” the voice asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

“Nothing much. I’m just a little tired. I’ll be better after resting for a while,” I said quietly.

The voice didn’t respond. There was still time before I reached home, so I decided to give my eyes a rest.

Listening to music, I allowed myself to slip into the void of thoughts.

It was gloomy. She was standing in front of me. My heart was aching. There was a knife in her hand. Then a rod. A belt. A stick. Something lethal each time. And there was always a shadow with her — a shadow filled with poison and hatred.

I jolted awake, placing my hand over my chest to steady my breathing.

“Ah, not again,” I muttered to myself.

“I thought you were used to them,” the voice responded, as if it had been waiting for me to wake up.

“I am…” I felt a vibration on my hand. A notification had popped up. I glanced at the time, and my eyes began to well up with tears.

“You said you were used to it,” the voice whispered, almost mockingly.

“Tell me, which one is worse? Living or dying first?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

“Living is a punishment. Dying first is a sin.”

“So no matter what I do, it’s always going to turn out bad,” I said sadly.

“So?” the voice replied. “I don’t see any problem with that.”

“I don’t want to be a bad person. Ain’t that simple?” I said, my voice sharp with frustration.

“You’re not the hero you hoped for,” the voice replied, almost coldly.

“I know,” I whispered, “I’m just a human who plays his role.”

“You are in a constant state of change,” the voice mused.

“I doubt it,” I replied quietly.

“You are,” it insisted. “You wanted me to disappear, but right now, you’re comfortable with me.”

“Maybe I am,” I admitted reluctantly.

“Yeah, you are changing. Breaking all the promises you made.”

My spine shivered with fear at those words.

“What do you mean? I didn’t break any promises,” I said, my voice trembling.

“You didn’t break them. You forgot them,” the voice said ominously.

“Liar,” I whispered, my heart pounding. “Stop breaking your promises like that.”

I turned around, startled. There was a group of friends sitting beside me, talking among themselves. I was confused — what promise? What was wrong with that woman in the shadow? Why did I keep seeing her?

— to be continued…

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Genres: Psychological Horror, Dark Fiction, Surrealism Existential Fiction, Nightmarish Fiction, Gothic Fiction