Krish pov:
Where the hell is this place?
I finally stopped walking, hands falling to my sides as I looked around for what felt like the hundredth time. And somehow… it looked worse now.
"I've definitely been walking for more than an hour," I muttered, squinting into the darkness like that would magically fix things. "Like, there is no way this is still the same road I started on. Roads don't just… disappear. That's not how roads work."
I turned in a slow circle.
Nothing.
No lights.
No shops.
No annoying traffic sounds.
No people.
Just trees.
Endless, suffocating trees.
"…Okay, this is not funny anymore," I said, letting out a dry laugh that didn't even sound convincing to me. "If this is some kind of prank, I swear I will personally sue whoever is responsible. Emotionally. Legally. Spiritually. Everything."
I pulled out my phone again, already knowing what I was going to see.
No signal.
Of course.
"Wow. Amazing. First my best friend ruins my love life, then a dog steals my dinner, and now the universe itself has decided to personally escort me into the middle of nowhere and cut off my network like I'm some kind of criminal on the run."
I shoved the phone back into my pocket a little harder than necessary, running a hand through my hair.
"Think, Krish. Just think for two seconds without panicking like an idiot. You walked in here, right? So logically, you can walk out. This is basic human navigation. People have been doing this since… forever."
I paused.
"…Unless I walked in circles," I added under my breath.
Great.
Fantastic.
Love that for me.
I exhaled slowly and started walking again, picking a direction at random because at this point, what difference did it even make?
The ground felt different now.
Not like a road.
Softer. Uneven.
Each step sank slightly, the faint smell of damp earth creeping into the air like it had been waiting for me to notice.
"…Okay, that's new," I murmured, glancing down. "I don't remember signing up for a forest trek today. I was supposed to eat peacefully, go home, and maybe curse Aftaab a little more before sleeping. That was the plan. A very simple, very achievable plan."
I took a few more steps—
And then slowed down.
Something felt… off.
Not just the darkness.
Not just the silence.
The air itself felt different.
Thicker.
Heavier.
Like it was sitting on my skin instead of moving around me.
I frowned, squinting ahead.
There it was.
A faint haze.
"…Oh, perfect. Fog," I said, letting out a humorless chuckle. "Because why stop at one bad situation when you can upgrade it to premium disaster, right?"
I stepped closer, watching as the mist curled slowly along the ground, wrapping around my feet like it had all the time in the world.
That wasn't normal.
Fog doesn't move like that.
"Okay… okay, don't overthink it," I said quickly, more to myself than anything else. "It's just fog. You've seen fog before. This is basic weather. Science. Geography. All that good stuff."
My voice felt strange.
Like it wasn't traveling far.
Like the air was swallowing it whole.
That made me pause.
"…Why does it feel like even my voice is not interested in staying here?" I muttered, glancing around again.
And that's when I heard it.
A sound.
Faint.
Barely there.
But enough to make my body go still.
I froze mid-step, my breath catching slightly as I tilted my head, trying to listen.
"…Hello?" I called out, forcing my voice to sound normal. Casual.
Like I wasn't suddenly hyper-aware of every tiny movement around me.
No answer.
Of course there wasn't.
"Yeah, great idea, Krish," I whispered to myself. "Call out into a creepy, abandoned forest in the middle of the night. What exactly were you expecting? A friendly 'hi' back?"
I swallowed, trying to shake it off.
"It's probably just some animal," I continued quickly, filling the silence before it could grow. "Yeah. Just a normal animal doing normal animal things. You're the one who walked into its house, so technically you're the problem here."
The sound came again.
Closer.
Not loud.
But closer.
And this time—
I saw it.
A glow.
Faint.
Somewhere ahead.
At first, I thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me.
But no.
It was real.
A dull, low light cutting through the haze.
Not bright.
Not warm.
Just… there.
I stared at it for a moment, my thoughts slowing down despite myself.
"…Okay," I said softly, my voice losing that earlier edge of sarcasm. "That's… definitely not normal."
My feet took a small step back on their own.
"This is the part where a smart person turns around and leaves," I continued, nodding slightly like I was agreeing with myself. "Yes. Exactly. That's what we're going to do. We're going to walk away, go back, pretend none of this ever happened, and never tell Aftaab about it because he will never let me hear the end of it."
But I didn't move.
Because something about that light felt…
Wrong.
Not in an obvious way.
Not loud. Not threatening.
Just… wrong.
Or maybe—
Like I didn't belong here.
My throat went dry.
" I don't wanna die yet.."
Nope.
No, no, no—this is not happening.
I don't know what that thing is, I don't want to know what that thing is, and I am absolutely not staying here long enough to find out.
"Yeah, we're leaving," I said quickly, nodding to myself like this was a completely calm, well-thought-out decision. "Immediately. Right now. No discussion."
And before my brain could come up with something stupid like 'maybe go check it out'—
I turned and ran.
Not a dignified run.
Not a heroic run.
A full-blown, survival-instinct, headless-chicken run.
Branches scratched against my arms as I pushed past them, my shoes slipping slightly against the uneven ground as I tried to follow the same path I had come from—
—or what I thought was the same path.
"Left—no, wait—was it left?!" I muttered between breaths, glancing around wildly. "Why does everything look the same? Who designed this place? This is terrible planning!"
The darkness seemed thicker now.
Closer.
Like it was chasing me.
I didn't dare look back.
Because if I saw that glow any closer than before—
Nope.
Not happening.
"I swear if I make it out of this alive, I am never leaving my room again," I panted, nearly tripping over a root. "Food can come to me. People can come to me. The world can adjust. I'm done."
My lungs burned.
My heart pounded so loudly it drowned out everything else—
Almost everything.
"Woof!"
I stumbled to a halt so abruptly I nearly fell forward.
"…What?"
For a second, I thought I imagined it.
Because why—why—would there be a dog here?
"Woof! Woof!"
No.
Not imagination.
Real.
I turned sharply toward the sound—
And there it was.
That tiny menace.
The same puppy.
Standing a few feet away, tail wagging frantically and nudging me some direction.
I blinked at it.
"…You."
Of all the things I expected to see right now—
This was not on the list.
The puppy barked again, sharp this time, and then—
It turned.
Took a few steps.
Stopped.
Looked back at me.
Like it was waiting.
I stared at it, trying to process what was happening.
"…No," I said immediately, shaking my head. "No, no. I am not taking directions from a dog. That's where I draw the line. I already lost dinner to you, I'm not losing my dignity too."
The puppy barked again.
Louder.
More urgent.
And then it ran a little further ahead.
Stopped again.
Looked back.
Waiting.
My jaw tightened as I glanced behind me—
And froze.
The glow.
It was closer.
Much closer.
Not bright.
Not fast.
But closer.
And somehow—
That was worse.
"…Okay," I whispered, turning back to the puppy. "You win. Congratulations. I hope you're happy. If this is a trap, just know I will haunt you specifically."
The puppy barked once—almost like an answer—and took off.
And this time—
I followed.
"Hey! Slow down!" I called out, sprinting after it. "I don't have four legs and unlimited energy like you! Some of us are struggling here!"
It darted through the trees with surprising confidence, weaving through narrow gaps, jumping over roots like it knew exactly where it was going.
Meanwhile, I was—
Not graceful.
Not fast.
Not okay.
"Why are you so fast?!" I gasped, nearly slipping again. "You're this small! This is illegal!"
The air began to change.
Gradually.
Subtly.
The heaviness… lifted.
The silence… cracked.
A faint sound reached my ears—
Distant.
But familiar.
Traffic.
My steps faltered for a second.
"…Wait."
The puppy didn't stop.
It kept going.
And I followed, my heartbeat shifting from panic to something dangerously close to hope.
The trees began to thin.
The darkness loosened its grip.
And then—
Lights.
Faint at first.
Then clearer.
Streetlights.
Real ones.
Not that cursed glow.
Actual, normal, human-made lights.
I stumbled forward, almost tripping over myself as I crossed the invisible line—
Out of the trees.
Out of that place.
Back onto a proper road.
Civilization.
I stopped.
Bent forward, hands on my knees, dragging in air like I had just outrun death itself.
"…I'm alive," I breathed out, half laughing, half disbelieving. "I am actually alive."
I straightened slowly, turning back toward the trees.
They stood there.
Silent.
Still.
Like nothing had happened.
Like they hadn't just tried to swallow me whole.
A chill ran down my spine.
"…Nope," I muttered. "We're not questioning it. We're not going back. We're not even thinking about it. That chapter is closed. Sealed. Deleted."
"Woof."
I turned.
The puppy sat beside me, looking up like it had just completed a very important mission.
I stared at it for a moment.
"…You," I said, narrowing my eyes slightly. "I take back everything I said earlier. Well—most of it. You're still a thief. But… a useful one."
Its tail wagged harder.
I sighed, running a hand over my face before crouching slightly.
"…You just saved my life, will you come with me?" I asked quietly.
A pause.
Then, softer—
"My little comrade"
The puppy barked once.
Like it understood.
"Little comrade it is. Yes that's your name and you are staying with me from now on."