They say a child's laughter might just be one of the most beautiful sounds in the world.
... but not when it's three in the morning and you live alone.
A child's giggle startled Mikel from his light slumber. As his eyes opened, he heard loud, hurried footsteps outside his small room.
"What the hell?" he grumbled, reaching for the small lamp on the bedside table.
Click… click…
Nothing.
"For God's sake," he clicked his tongue, pulling the string even more irritably. But when the light finally shone on his face, a small figure was leaning by his side.
"Boo!"
"Ah — shit!" Startled, Mikel tumbled off the bed, clutching the sheet with him. His eyes darted around the dim room, but there was no one there.
His heart drummed against his chest, nearly leaping from it.
"Shit," he breathed out, steadying his breathing before rising from the floor. His fall had been abrupt and awkward, and his side now throbbed with pain.
"That's it," he thought, reaching for the knife under his pillow.
But as he took a step, another set of hurried footsteps echoed outside. Mikel gripped the knife tightly, his chest heaving. After a sharp breath, he marched outside to investigate.
The second floor of his small, run-down house was cramped, with only two rooms facing each other across a narrow space and the stairwell leading down. No one was in sight. His gaze drifted to the slightly ajar door of the room opposite his own.
Taking cautious steps forward, Mikel pressed against the wall beside the door, listening to faint creaks from within, his grip on the knife tightening. With a deep breath, he kicked the door open to confront any intruders.
Nothing.
Inside, only the curtains swayed gently, the window creaking on its hinges in the breeze.
"Hah," Mikel sighed in relief, stepping in to securely close the window. As he did so, he glanced around the room.
"It's probably nothing."
Heading back to his room, he heard more loud noises downstairs. This time, it wasn't just faint creaking or hurried footsteps; it sounded like someone was ransacking the entire place.
"Hey!" he yelled, rushing downstairs.
Again, silence.
Despite the dim first floor lit by the moonlight, everything appeared the same as it was. Mikel frowned deeply, blinking. On his third blink, his left eye glowed softly with a faint tint of red.
This time, through that eye alone, he could see clearly, as if in night vision.
Nothing.
Everything seemed normal.
"I'm losing sleep with all these things happening at three," he grumbled, massaging his neck while still gripping the kitchen knife. "Never mind. It's my first day at this weird school tomorrow, and yet I haven't had a proper sleep."
Grumbling, Mikel shook his head and trudged upstairs. As he went, he kept rubbing his neck and shoulder to ease the tension. But halfway up, he noticed a pair of small feet ahead of him on the stairs.
His breath caught, and he stared at the purple and dirty toes just several steps away. Slowly, he raised his gaze. The moment he did, a young boy with an unnaturally white face was inches from him.
"Boo!"
"Ah —!" Startled, Mikel reached for the railing to steady himself. However, the boy lunged at him, grabbing his outstretched arm and causing him to tumble down the short flight of stairs.
His body violently thudded down the stairs, each crack of wood and grunt of pain echoing through the silence.
"Ouch…" he winced, landing hard on the stair landing, rolling onto his side in pain. "Aw."
Gritting his teeth, his eyes flashed with irritation as he glared at the front door. Summoning every ounce of strength despite the fresh ache from his fall, Mikel stormed toward the door.
"How many times do I have to say…" he gasped, yanking the door open, "LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!"
Outside, countless figures stared back at him — men, women, children, and the elderly. Their eyes were sunken, faces pale, some half-shrouded in mist. Others stood frozen in tattered clothes, their silence louder than screams.
"Damn it." Mikel sagged against the doorframe, breathing heavily in defeat.
This had been his life for the past five months.
And it all began when he acquired an eye that allowed him to see the living, the dead, and a strange interface after an accident that had taken away his sight.