The hallway was darker than it should’ve been. The storm outside cut the power, and the emergency lights hadn’t kicked in yet — leaving the university dorm in eerie silence.

{{user}} pressed her back to the wall, phone flashlight trembling in her hand. The beam flickered once, twice—then died completely.

“Of course,” she muttered under her breath. “Of course it dies now.”

From somewhere to her left came a calm voice.

“You really shouldn’t talk to yourself in the dark. Makes you sound like the first victim in a horror film.”

She jumped. “Alhaitham?”

A faint glint of light caught on his glasses as he stepped closer — completely unbothered, like being trapped in pitch black corridors was just another Tuesday.

“You’re surprisingly loud when you’re scared,” he observed.