Episode 2: Echoes in the Dark
Maya froze. The knock came again, soft but deliberate.
She scanned the small apartment, heart hammering in her chest. The bathroom door was slightly ajar. Hadn’t she closed it before going to bed? She crept closer, every instinct screaming at her to run, but curiosity pulled her forward.
Knock. Knock.
It was definitely coming from the bathroom.
Summoning courage, she pushed the door open in one swift motion. The flashlight on the counter—one she hadn’t touched in days—sputtered to life on its own, casting weak, flickering light. But that wasn’t what made her scream.
On the mirror, written in what looked like… ash, were the words:
“DON’T LOOK OUTSIDE.”
Maya stumbled back, her scream dying in her throat as a shadow passed across the light from the bathroom. She whipped around. Nothing. The apartment was empty.
But she wasn’t alone.
She could feel it.
Grabbing her keys and jacket, Maya bolted out the door. The hallway was as dark as her apartment. Emergency lights that should’ve flickered on were dead. She took the stairs two at a time, her breath ragged, footsteps echoing too loud.
When she burst onto the street, her fear only grew.
The darkness outside wasn’t natural. It seemed to swallow the light, the air thick with something unseen but oppressive. Shapes shifted at the edge of her vision, disappearing when she tried to focus. She wasn’t the only one out there—other neighbors were stumbling into the streets, confused and scared. But no one spoke.
Then, from the distance, a scream pierced the silence.
A man came running from the alley Maya had seen earlier. His face twisted in terror, he sprinted blindly—until something caught him. A shadow darker than dark, with no form, only… hunger.
It dragged him into the void.
And then the screaming stopped.
Lesson Derived from “DARK: Echoes in the Dark”
Fear often thrives in the unknown, feeding on our imagination and uncertainty. Maya’s experience teaches us that while fear is a natural response, it’s how we face it that defines us. Curiosity can be both a gift and a curse—leading us to truths we may not be prepared for. In the face of darkness, both literal and metaphorical, courage isn’t the absence of fear but the decision to act despite it. Ultimately, the story reminds us that not everything hidden in the dark seeks to be understood—some mysteries are best left untouched.