"Maa," I call out, but the silence swallows my voice whole. 

The hallway stretches out with the kind of silence that's too heavy, too thick. Not a flicker of light anywhere, just shadows crouching in every corner, waiting. I can feel it. The way the dark presses closer, like it's got teeth and if I let my guard down for even a second, it'll suck me into its black belly until I'm nothing but a memory. Or worse, not even that.

"Maa... I'm back, Maa." My voice trembles as I call out again, but only the wind howls back, tightening the knot in my chest. My heart's beating too loud now. 

Then, I feel a wet, slick against my bare feet. My eyes dart to the floor, but the darkness doesn't let me see the secrets. Still, the stench hits me like a fist, sharp and metallic. Blood. The air tastes of it, thick and sour.

I follow the slick trail of blood. It leads me to a gate. A mouth of absolute blackness. The kind of dark that seeps into your bones. But oddly, I feel nothing. No fear, no horror—just an unsettling calm.