The Lullaby

After the day Liham and Maya shared their interests, their relationship grew closer. They started talking more often, finding a comfortable rhythm in their interactions. 

One evening, as Liham arrived for his night shift at the convenience store, Maya greeted him with a frown. "You're late," she said, her tone slightly scolding.

Liham laughed it off, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry, I overslept," he admitted, his smile apologetic.

Maya sighed, but there was no real anger in her expression. "Just don't make it a habit, okay? We've got a system here, and it works best when we're on time."

Liham nodded, still smiling. He found Maya to be a bit intimidating, her no-nonsense attitude making her seem bossy at times. But underneath it all, he knew she was kind and understanding, always ready to offer help when needed.

As Maya gathered her things to leave, she glanced back at Liham. He was standing behind the counter, but something about his posture seemed off. His face was pale, and he was staring into the corner of the store, his gaze distant and unfocused.

"Are you feeling okay?" Maya asked, her concern evident.

Liham jolted, snapping out of whatever trance he'd been in. He hadn't noticed Maya was still there. "I'm fine," he stuttered, forcing a light tone. "Just… daydreaming, I guess."

Maya didn't seem entirely convinced, but she nodded, accepting his explanation. "Alright," she said, turning to leave. But as she reached the door, she paused and looked back at him again, a hint of worry lingering in her eyes. Something about the way Liham had been acting didn't sit right with her, but she decided to let it go for now. 

As he was left alone in the store, the unsettling thoughts from earlier crept back into his mind. The incident at his apartment was hard to shake off. His books scattered on the ground again, the bathroom light left on, and the faucet running—each detail gnawed at him. Is someone living in my apartment when I'm gone? he wondered, anxiety tightening his chest. A homeless person? The idea made him shudder.

He tried to dismiss the thoughts, but they kept resurfacing. What if they stab me while I'm asleep? Or even strangle me? The more he thought about it, the more his fear grew, until he was almost paralyzed by it.

A sharp voice snapped him back to reality. "Hey! You've been standing there forever!" an impatient man in front of the counter barked at him, his tone filled with irritation.

Liham blinked, realizing that he had been lost in his thoughts while customers lined up, waiting. The annoyance was clear on their faces, each one of them glaring at him. "Sorry," he mumbled quickly, flustered as he grabbed the items and began scanning them as fast as he could.

After a long, exhausting night shift, Liham trudged back to his apartment building, his thoughts muddled with fatigue and unease. As he reached into his pocket for his apartment key, he suddenly froze. His eyes widened in fear as a soft, eerie humming drifted through the hallway. It was the same haunting melody he had heard when he was half-asleep, the one he had convinced himself was just a dream.

His heart raced. So, the humming I heard wasn't a dream… Panic surged through him as he fumbled with the key, finally managing to unlock the door. He dashed inside, frantically scanning the small, dimly lit apartment. There was no one there, no sign of anyone intruding.

Desperately, he rushed to his one and only window, yanking it open to check if it was unlocked. It was tightly shut and latched from the inside. Am I hallucinating? he wondered, his breath coming in shallow gasps. He leaned against the wall, trying to steady himself. His mind raced with possibilities, each more terrifying than the last. Was he losing his grip on reality, or was there something—someone—truly haunting his apartment?