Mysterious Mist

It was late at night when Aryan returned home. His mother was in her room, and his brother had fallen asleep beside her. Aryan trudged to his bedroom, exhaustion weighing heavy on him. Without bothering to change, he collapsed onto the bed and drifted into a restless sleep.

The nightmare came swiftly, gripping him like icy chains.

A monstrous figure loomed in the darkness, shrouded in an aura of swirling black smoke. The stench was suffocating, a foul mix of decay and iron that made his stomach churn. Its hands were slick with blood, and the sound of dripping echoed in the void.

Aryan's body was drenched in sweat, his breaths shallow and ragged. He couldn't move, couldn't scream. The monster's gaze fixed on him, burning like coals.

In its clawed hand, it held Khusi by the leg. She was limp, unconscious, her hair matted with dirt. Aryan's heart pounded in terror, his entire body trembling. He tried to move, to fight, but his limbs felt like lead.

The monster's growl rumbled like thunder.

"Khusi!" Aryan's mind screamed, but no sound left his lips. He was powerless, frozen by fear and weakness.

Suddenly, a voice echoed from inside himself. It was deep, commanding, and otherworldly.

"Do you seek power, Aryan?

Do you wish to protect those you hold dear?

Do you want to fight?"

The words cut through the haze, piercing his very soul. Aryan's trembling stopped, and his breath hitched as he listened.

"Then wake up. Break the chains that bind you. Free my power, hidden within the boundaries of your body. Shatter them, and let me rise!"

A blinding shadow engulfed everything. Wings—vast and menacing—unfurled, stretching across the void, casting the nightmare into a deeper darkness. The ground quaked as the wings rose, filling the space with an overwhelming presence.

The air grew heavy, suffocating. A piercing cry echoed—a bird, shrill and deafening.

Aryan bolted upright in bed, gasping for air. His chest heaved, and his body was soaked in sweat. The sound of the bird still rang in his ears as he glanced around, his heart racing. The room was silent and dark, save for the faint glow of moonlight streaming through the window.

It was just a dream. But it felt so real. Too real.

Aryan sat there, trembling, as the voice from the nightmare lingered in his mind.

"Wake up… free me."

Aryan wanted to call out, but no sound escaped his lips. His throat strained with the effort, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. He tried harder and harder, willing his voice to break free. Nothing. Desperation clawed at him as he struggled to protect his younger brother from an unseen enemy. All he could perceive was a disembodied voice, taunting and chilling.

Suddenly, he jolted awake, heart pounding, drenched in sweat. Relief swept over him, but only for a moment. The thick mist swirling around his room was no dream. It clung to everything, a dark shroud that blurred the edges of reality. Terror coiled around him as he stumbled out of bed, his movements frantic.

Downstairs, the house seemed eerily normal. Furniture stood undisturbed, the clock ticked steadily, but he couldn't see a soul. He checked every room—the living room, the kitchen, even the lab room his family rarely used. Nobody. His chest tightened, panic surging through his veins.

Where were they? His brother, his mom—gone without a trace.

Aryan's heart raced as he tore through the house again, his breath shallow. He finally stopped in front of the lab door, his hands trembling as he pushed it open. There they were, huddled together. Relief washed over him, but anger flickered too, mingled with confusion.

Using sign language, he demanded, "Where were you until now? What's going on?"

Their faces were pale, their expressions grim. His brother's trembling hands replied, "We thought you were lost. The mist… it's alive."

Khusi said, "Maybe you haven't looked properly. We've been here the whole time. Anyway, what is this mist inside the house? Let's check it out."

Mother cautioned, "Be careful."

They stepped outside together and were met with a wall of dense mist. It cloaked everything, rendering the world beyond their doorstep invisible. Aryan shivered. The unease from earlier now solidified into dread.

"We can't see anything," Khusi murmured. Aryan's instincts screamed to retreat.

"It's safer inside," he signed firmly, pulling him back.

Reluctantly, they returned indoors and closed the door behind them. The familiar walls of their home brought a fleeting sense of security. They switched on the TV, hoping for answers, but the screen only displayed static. The mist outside seemed to press against the windows, as if watching and waiting.

TV News Telecast

The anchor's voice was tense, the concern palpable.

"Is this a city of mist? Not at all! And it's not even winter or 3 a.m. This is a summer night, 11 p.m. The mist has blanketed the entire city. We advise everyone to stay indoors under these conditions. Please, stay safe at home. Recently, we've seen many strange phenomena occurring across the country. Better to be cautious and avoid unnecessary outings."

The screen cut to eerie visuals: streets empty, streetlights blurred by the dense mist.

"Unexplained Phenomenon" and "Public Advisory: Stay Indoors."

Aryan, Khusi, and their mom huddled together in the hall. The flickering light of the TV was the only thing breaking the otherwise suffocating silence of the night. Aryan, calm as always, gently patted Khusi's hand, his unspoken reassurance just as effective as words.

Their mom sat nearby, her face betraying her unease. She glanced out the window occasionally, though it revealed nothing but an unsettling gray fog.

"Let's sleep here together tonight," she said softly, her voice cutting through the tension. They agreed silently, lying on the couch and floor with a shared sense of security.

By morning, sunlight pierced through the windows, warm and ordinary. The world outside was no longer cloaked in mist, but calm and familiar again.

Khusi was the first to stir. He ran to the window and pushed the curtains aside. "It's gone!" he exclaimed, relief washing over him.

Aryan and their mom followed, standing together as they looked out at the now-normal cityscape. Cars moved, people walked about, and the eerie events of the night seemed like a distant dream.

"Everything's... fine now," Mom said, but her tone suggested she wasn't entirely convinced. Strange things had been happening lately, and this was just another mystery added to the list.

Aryan tilted his head, as if pondering something deeper. Whatever thoughts he had remained his own, but the look in his eyes hinted at a silent curiosity—or perhaps, a knowing.

Over breakfast, Khusi turned on the TV to check the news, his curiosity outweighing her fear. Aryan sat beside him, eyes sharp, his curiosity even keener. Their mom joined them, still uneasy about the night before.