Let Me In!
- Writers Pouch
- Oct 25, 2025
- 8 min read
Updated: Apr 8
The cold January air prickled Suresh’s skin as he rode through the desolate streets of Gachibowli. The lane to his shared apartment felt unusually empty; the silence was only broken by a faint hum of distant streetlights. His gaze lifted to the third-floor windows of their flat. The usual warmth was absent; the lights were out, and the silence around it felt... wrong.
He reached for his phone and redialed Arun’s number. No answer.
Suresh had returned from his Christmas vacation a night earlier since he had an early morning shift. Although the rest of his roommates also left for their hometowns, Arun was the only one who stayed back, preparing for government exams, still trying to get a job. For the past couple of days, Suresh has been trying to call and text Arun to inform him that he is returning early, but all his attempts have failed.
Frowning, Suresh climbed the stairs, his footsteps echoing in the narrow stairwell. The place seemed even quieter than usual, the air thick with an unsettling stillness. He knocked sharply on the door, his knuckles rattling against the wood. No response.
Something felt off. He knocked again, louder this time, still nothing…just silence. That gnawing sensation deep in his gut grew.
“Arun?” he muttered under his breath, his heart quickening. Scanning the surroundings, he could see that the shoe rack near the door was overturned, its contents scattered across the floor in an odd, careless mess.
