Tags
Bollywood, drama, entertainment, fiction, Horror, Short Fiction, Short Story, Stories, story, Thriller, writing
He thought he heard a noise. It sounded like a soft thud but it was enough to wake him up. He checked the time on his cell phone. The time read 3 a.m. He then looked around in his dimly lit tiny room nestled in a dense slum area in one of the most populous cities – Mumbai. A city where slums jostled for space with highrises and bungalows.
He then heard someone whisper his name softly. Puzzled, he tried to peer out of his house through the tiny crack below the door. It was pitch dark outside. And then he heard it again. Someone had uttered his name softly again. He wasn’t sure if it was a male or a female voice but he was sure someone was out there.
Bravely, he made a decision. He got up, switched on the simple light bulb that cast an eerie pale yellow glow along with the night bulb around the dingy room. He opened the door and looked outside. The small lane barely 3 feet in width had about 14 houses, 7 on each side. But no light was burning casting a formidable darkness in the lane. He could make out no shadows lurking around. And yet he was sure someone had called out his name.
Reluctantly he closed the door and extended his hand towards the light switch and then he heard it once more… a soft voice calling out his name. He quickly pulled open the door and pushed his head out. Still in the pale light that illuminated the space outside his door, he could see no one. Curiosity got the better of him and he looked at the house opposite his. The lock was still in place on the door. The sole tenant of the house had moved to his native place few months ago to escape the pandemic and the ultimate lockdown.
He looked around at its small window. It was as it was for months. Shut completely except for a wee bit of a crack. And then a pair of a fiery red eyes peered at him through the crack. He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination or if he had indeed seen something. He blinked his eyes rapidly and then looked again. He saw the fiery eyes staring back at him. They stared at each other even as the clock ticked slowly. He wondered how someone could have gone inside that house. The door was locked from outside and the small window was barred by thick steel net. The roof was concrete. There was no way to go in. So who was inside, he wondered.
Suddenly the shrill sound of dogs barking pierced the still of the night breaking his trance. The eyes had disappeared. He kept staring at the window in awe.
In the morning, the neighbours found his door open with him seated on the floor, leaning against the wall, eyes wide open and staring at the window opposite. Except that he was still dead.