The night was pitch black. There was a strange, heavy chill in the air that was creating a feeling of fear in the body. The moon would occasionally peek out from behind the clouds, but every time it would hide again due to some unseen fear. He was walking down a deserted street, where people rarely came even in broad daylight.
Hassan's heart was filled with a strange uneasiness. Today was not like any other day. Ever since he had seen that old book, his mind had been growing confused. That book was kept in an old library, which no one had touched. The pages had turned yellow, but the writing on them was nothing short of magical. A sentence kept appearing before his eyes:
"If you hear the cry of the shadow, then know that your soul has been imprisoned by it."
As soon as Hassan read this sentence, his heart started beating fast. He felt as if someone had whispered in his ear. He quickly closed the book and walked out, but the sentence was not leaving his mind.
Now he was walking in the same confusion, and he felt that the shadows were walking alongside him. With each step, the feeling that he was not alone grew.
Suddenly, the wind stopped for a moment. The long shadows spread across the street suddenly began to move. Hassan's breathing stopped.
And then…
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
A scream rang out.
A scream that was ear-piercing. A scream that could not have come from a human. Hassan's steps froze where they were. The blood in his body froze. He turned slowly.
And stood there, still.
There was nothing in front of him… but the shadows, which had been lifeless before, were now moving. They seemed to have turned into something alive, as if they really wanted to say something. Hassan took a step back, but his shadow remained there…!
How was this possible?
He began to tremble with fear. His shadow, which had always been with him, was now free. Then suddenly those shadows began to spin rapidly. Their shapes began to deform, and they began to take on human form.
A shadow approached him. It was as if there was no life in Hassan's body. The shadow slowly began to mold itself into its shape. Hassan closed his eyes, but as soon as he opened his eyes again, his soul trembled.
He was standing in front of himself.
The same face, the same eyes, the same clothes… only one thing was different. That face was not smiling, but rather there was a strange horror in it.
“Who are you…?” Hassan asked, daring himself.
The shadow let out a cold sigh and said, “I am the one you ignored… I am the part of your soul that you never acknowledged. I am the scream you always suppressed. But today…
The shadow's voice began to echo.
"Today you have heard my cry, and now I am free!"
Hassan started to back away, but his feet seemed to be stuck in the ground. The shadow reached out and placed his hand on Hassan's chest. An icy coldness spread through his body. He wanted to scream, but his voice seemed to have disappeared somewhere.
It was the same cry, which was buried inside him… and had come out today.
The shadow laughed. "Now you are mine. Your soul has gone into my captivity, and you… will now become another shadow!"
Darkness spread before Hassan's eyes. He started to fall to the ground. But as soon as he fell to the ground, he found himself in another place.
He was in an old, dilapidated cell. There were shadows everywhere, scratches on the walls, and the same sound echoed everywhere:
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
It was the same scream.
It was the scream of the shadow.
Hassan understood that he could never go back. He was now another shadow. He was now waiting for another unsuspecting traveler… to make him a part of that scream.
Ended