After Life - Discovering the Depth of Darkness

How can I trust you?

I woke up at 11 a.m. to the sound of my mom shouting, "Wake up! It's 11 o'clock! How many times do I have to call you?" As I rose from my bed, I felt a throbbing pain in my head, as if someone were crushing it. 

I couldn't remember how I got back home. When I checked my forearm, expecting to see a wound, it appeared completely normal without even a scratch. It must have been just a dream. I glanced at myself in the mirror and made my way to the bathroom, but something felt off. 

I quickly turned back to the mirror, and to my horror, I realized there was no iris in my eyes. They were completely black. Oh my god! Just then, my mom walked in and told me to freshen up. I tried to turn away, hoping she wouldn't notice, but it was too late. She looked at me closely, and my heart started racing uncontrollably.

"Your eyes are red," my mother exclaimed. 

"I told you to dry your hair before going to bed. Look, now you've caught a cold. Your dad also asked where you left your scooter so he can take it to the service center."

 "The service center?" I asked, puzzled.

 "You said the tire got punctured," my mother replied, her voice filled with concern. 

Confusion overwhelmed me. What was happening? There were no visible scars on my body, yet I couldn't recall how I had returned home. I had left my scooter somewhere, but why? Yesterday, I had gotten into a fight with some men at a bar, but why? 

I couldn't comprehend if all of this was just a dream or a harsh reality. If the crop top I had been wearing was indeed real, then my black top must have a tear on the sleeve. I hurriedly searched for the garment in the laundry basket, but it was nowhere to be found. 

The sound of the washing machine caught my attention, and I opened it in hopes of locating my top. After some searching, I finally found it. My heart raced as I inspected the left sleeve, relieved to find it intact. 

However, my gut instinct still nagged at me, urging me to check the other sleeve. I gasped in disbelief as I discovered it was torn. Was I losing my mind? How did I suddenly possess such strength to lift a man? How did the knife fail to pierce through my body? And how did I end up finding myself in that bar when I had never even been there before? The situation was confounding, especially with the peculiar state of my eyes, which my mother couldn't seem to notice.

I recalled asking something to the men in the bar, but the reason behind my inquiries eluded me completely. It was beyond frustrating. If things continued like this, I feared I might even resort to pulling out my own hair. Perhaps wearing sunglasses could help conceal my unusual eyes and bring some solace.

Rani had sent me job offers, and it was high time I focused my attention on them rather than dwelling on these inexplicable circumstances. It was crucial to redirect my energy towards building a future and moving forward.

I had sent my CV via email and needed to print out a few copies. Heading to the nearby printing shop, I approached the shopkeeper and requested, "Bro, I need five copies of each." The sun was shining brightly, and I kept my sunglasses on to conceal my unsettling dark eyes. 

As the shopkeeper scanned the documents in the machine, I glanced at my reflection in the shop's glass door, which had sun protectors installed. Curiosity got the better of me, and I removed my sunglasses, hoping for a change. However, to my dismay, my eyes remained pitch black.

Intrigued and slightly disturbed, I attempted to touch the eyes of my reflection, only to notice something peculiar on my hand—a substance that was visible solely in the reflection. It appeared as if a smoky substance was emanating from the center of my palm, even though there was nothing there in reality.