Renn didn't know what broke his sleep abruptly in the middle of the night. With his eyes still closed, he fumbled on the bed for his phone. As his fingers brushed the cold screen, he picked it up and, squinting at the dim screen through half-lidded eyes, he saw the time, 2:40 am.
He slowly sat up on the bed. The rain still poured outside, he could hear the constant pitter-patter.
He sat still for a few seconds. Renn was always a deep sleeper; once out, he rarely stirred before morning. So, what was tonight?
Yawning, he looked around. The dim light of the drawing room was still on, the faint glow also lit up his room a bit. Everything around was the same.
Renn rubbed his temples and reached for the water bottle on his study table. He grabbed the bottle and frowned. Empty!
His face wrinkled in annoyance. Hadn't he always filled the bottle before going to bed? How come he'd forgotten it today?
Renn rubbed his temples, then, with an annoyed look, pushed away the blanket and got off. With the empty bottle in hand, he walked towards the drawing room.
He filled the bottle and took a few gulps. As he was heading back, suddenly his eyes fell on the wall clock's hands. They were frozen at 12:59.
'Didn't I change the battery yesterday! How's it stopped?'
His eyes narrowed; it must be John, he'd given him a faulty battery again. This was the third time he'd given him a damaged good.
'I'm not going to his shop anymore.' Deciding it in his mind, Renn turned around to head back to bed. Today had been so far a disaster, only a sound sleep for the rest of the night could fix him now.
Click!
Suddenly, a sound came from behind. It wasn't loud, but enough to slice through the silence of the apartment. Renn's steps halted; he looked back, and to his surprise, he saw that the TV had turned on itself! The low hum of the white static filled the air almost instantly.
'What the hell!' Renn muttered. He didn't even touch the remote... Let alone touching the remote, he didn't even switch it on! Then?
'Must be a glitch.' Renn whispered, although he didn't really believe his saying. He walked towards the old, creaking centre table, on which the TV remote lay untouched. He picked it up and pressed the power button.
But, nothing happened.
He pressed again. Again... And again.
Nothing. The TV screen remained lit up and the static still buzzed.
'Fine.' He threw the remote on the couch, then quickly walked over and pulled the plug. The screen went dark immediately, and the buzz disappeared. An eerie silence descended upon the drawing room again.
Renn let out a sigh, then went back to his room. Stepping inside, he paused for a second. He usually slept, leaving the door open, but today, after so many things, he dared not!
He glanced over the drawing room once, then shut the door. That was when he felt, how eerily quiet the apartment was today! Even the soft click of the latch felt louder than it should've!
He tossed the filled bottle onto the table, and sat back on the edge of his bed, exhaling a long breath. 'Too much for a day.'
The storm, then the meeting with that stranger, the weird sleep interruption, and now the TV...
Something was... Off. But he couldn't point a finger at what it was exactly.
Renn brushed the thoughts with a light shake of his head. Maybe he was more tired than he thought.
He fell backward, sinking onto the mattress. With half-lidded eyes, he lay like that for a while, the rhythmic tapping of the rain echoed in his ears. It soothed his senses, letting him calm down and fall asleep.
But the calm was only short-lived.
Buzz!
Suddenly, his phone under the pillow buzzed, the sudden vibration made him jolt!
Renn sat up quickly. He hadn't left it under his pillow, had he? As far as he remembered, he just tossed it on the bed before going out.
Pulling out the mobile from under the pillow, he glanced at the screen. There was no notification, no message, no calls! Why did the phone buzz then?
But what happened next left him utterly stunned. His gaze was fixed on the status bar, especially on the battery level. The battery percentage showed 74%, but suddenly it started dropping!
74%... 65%... 53%... 47%...
Bewildered, Renn just stared at the screen. In just a few seconds, the percentage dropped from 47% to 2%! The screen flickered a few times before it went black. Renn tapped the screen, pressed the power button, but nothing happened. The screen remained dark. It was dead.
A strange feeling crawled over his skin. Was it all really... Coincidence? Too many coincidences at once, could it really happen?
He tossed the phone aside and got up again. Suddenly, the room felt smaller. He realised, how pressing the silence was. The ticking sound of the clock had stopped, even the low hum of the refrigerator couldn't be heard anymore!
Renn walked towards the wardrobe and stood in front of the full-sized mirror fitted to it. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. And... His eyes widened in wonder!
He stood still, but to his surprise, he clearly saw his reflection in the mirror. Its lips slightly widened!
'Am I seeing things?' He muttered under his breath.
'It must be an illusion.' To prove himself, Renn moved a bit. But, the reflection didn't! It stayed as it was, rather, the smile on his lips seemed to widen a little more.
Renn froze. He felt a chill run down his spine. The reflection's grin deepened bit by bit, at a point in time, it almost felt like a mockery. The figure tilted its head slightly to the side.
Then, it vanished!
Renn stood still, his breath hitched in his throat. He was still there, in front of the mirror, but the reflection was gone!
How?
He skipped a beat, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. The lights in the room started flickering violently, the air became denser than ever, almost suffocating.
Renn's instinct screamed, 'If you want to live, get out of this apartment. Now.'
Renn rushed out of the apartment; he could no longer stay inside! The place he'd lived in for almost three years, which he'd known like the back of his hand, no longer seemed the same! As if his long-known apartment had turned into a paranormal thriller movie set overnight!
Little did he know that the biggest surprise was waiting for him outside.
He dashed down the stairwell, skipping steps. He crashed through the main door and stumbled onto the empty street. Bending over his knees with his hands, he gasped for breath. After a few ragged breaths, he straightened up, panting. The cold air hit his face, but it wasn't what made him freeze.
It was.. the rain.
The continuous rhythmic pitter patter that soothed him, calmed him just some time ago, wasn't crashing onto the ground anymore!
It was falling — upwards!
Drifting from the wet pavement below, they were floating back to the sky, defying gravity! It made no sense — as if nature had decided to reverse all its logic!
Renn blinked once, twice, several times, but nothing happened!
His lips parted slightly, "This... This isn't real!"
Renn stood on the road, stunned. Suddenly, a loud noise broke his daze, and a blinding light sliced through the darkness of the night instantly.
He whipped his head back and saw — a massive truck hurtling straight at him at a terrifying speed!
Renn's eyes widened in horror! He tried to jump aside, but it was too late!
Bam!
The truck slammed into him with brutal force. His body flew like a ragdoll and crashed against the drenched street! A sharp guttural scream escaped his throat.
And then... Everything went black.