Vision in Red by Sajjad Rasool - HTML preview

Children of Olive

In the darkness, the silence of the room changed. It wasn't the silence of people holding their breath. It was the silence of a vacuum. The air pressure dropped so sharply Amal’s ears popped. The smell of ozone and wet earth flooded the room, overpowering the scent of floor wax and stale coffee.

"Stay close," Yasmin hissed, grabbing Amal's arm.

And then, from every corner of the room, from the shadows under the tables, from the cracks in the ceiling, eyes opened.

Red eyes.

Hundreds of them. They appeared in pairs, hovering in the darkness like glowing coals.

They weren't outside this time. They were inside. They had bypassed the walls, the doors, the physical barriers.

"They followed us," Yasmin whispered, her voice trembling.

"No," Amal said, standing up and pulling Noor’s flashlight—which she now carried everywhere— from her purse. She clicked it on, the beam cutting through the gloom like a lightsaber. She swept it across the room. "They didn't follow us. They were already here. Waiting."

The beam caught a figure standing by the door. It was the watcher from Omar’s drawing—the one that had whispered in his ear. It was taller than the others, its armor more elaborate, etched with patterns that moved. Faces. Screaming faces carved into the chest plate, their mouths opening and closing in silent agony.

It stepped forward.

The teenagers screamed. It was a chaotic, terrified sound that bounced off the concrete walls. Flashlights from phones clicked on, creating a strobe effect of light and shadow. In the flashes, the watchers seemed to flicker, moving closer with every blink of light. They were dozens of them, blocking every exit, their red eyes fixed on one point.

On Omar.

"Omar!" Amal lunged toward the table, grabbing the boy's arm. "We have to go! Move!"

Omar shook his head. He stood up, his small frame trembling violently. But he wasn't looking at the exit. He was looking at the tall watcher —the thief of his voice.

He stepped forward.

"What are you doing?" Yasmin cried, trying to pull him back. "Omar, don't!"

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