The Crooked Smile

By Aatreyee Chakrabarty

It was night. The sky was choked with black clouds giving the atmosphere an eerie, almost apocalyptic touch as if the universe itself was screaming danger. Thunder rumbled, and the clouds clashed together, pouring rain upon the earth.

Rehaan was on his way home. In one hand, he gripped a black umbrella; his face carried weight of exhaustion. His brown eyes lost his shine due to fatigue, a rough stubble shadowed his jaw highlighting his good looks, and his hair was slightly damp from the rain drops touching the ground. He wore a crisp white shirt beneath a black overcoat, paired with black trousers and polished black formal shoes—which was now slightly wet and dirty. He was so exhausted that even small steps were like climbing a mountain. He was walking for hours unable to find any taxi due to the thunder. Suddenly, he stopped.

At the corner of a dimly lit alley, an old woman stood, drenched and shivering. Her clothes were ragged, her hair a mess. She looked desperate for help but there was something suspicious about her… something wrong. She radiated a dark, crooked aura, one that sent shivers down his spine. His instincts screamed, Don’t go near her. She is dangerous.

Yet, Rehaan found his feet moving toward her. Like a moth is drawn towards flame

In the blink of an eye, he was standing right behind her. The woman, who moments ago had been trembling, now stood eerily still, like a statue. Rehaan faced her back. Then, she tilted her head sharply to the left, a sickening bone-crack echoing through the rain, as if her neck hadn’t moved in years. Slowly, she began to turn. When her face finally came into view, Rehaan’s breath caught in his throat not because she was beautiful, because she was scary. Almost like a…. Demon. Her skin was pale—like a corpse. Her eyes were solid black, hollow and souless. Her lips were grey like ash. She didn’t blink; she didn’t move. She only stared at him… and smiled.

In a husky, rasping voice, she whispered, “Hungry.”

The sound sent a wave of ice down his spine. The fear made him summoned every shred of courage he had in him and runs. Not daring to look back. 

By the time he reached home, his heart was pounding so hard that for a second it felt like that his heart will burst out from his chest. He slammed the door shut and locked it, pressing his back against it. To save him from the danger he just faced. He couldn’t hold himself back and slowly his knees sank to the ground. He removed his soaked overcoat and headed for the shower. 

After what felt like forever, he stepped out in comfortable clothes, his muscles heavy with exhaustion and fear. Collapsing onto his bed, he pulled the soft covers over himself like a shield from whatever shadows might be lurking.

But when he opened his eyes his heart almost came in his mouth due to fear. He was no longer in his room.

He was standing in a deserted place, surrounded by tall, silent and secluded buildings. The air was thick, the eerie whistle of the omnious wind making him choke with fear.

Then—he froze.

At a distance, He sees her. Right in front of her. The old lady. Her lifeless black eyes were locked on him. Staring. Like a predator admiring it’s prey.

His blood went cold. Feet refused to move. No. No no no…This can’t be. It’s not real. 

Her lips curled into the same crooked, sinister smile she gave him back at the alley. She took a step forward. Then another. And then, without warning, she broke into a run—charging at him like a possessed maniac.

Panic surged through him, and Rehaan turned to run but she was faster. She lunged, slamming him to the ground, pinning him beneath her. Her foul breath washed over him. Saliva dripped from her mouth onto his neck as she let out a guttural growl. 

Then suddenly….

A blinding white light flashed—

And Rehaan was back in his room. In his bed. Covers over his head. Just like he was before seeing that old lady

Was it all just a nightmare? Or… was something far more sinister waiting for him?

By Aatreyee Chakrabarty