The counselling center looked calm from the outside. Too calm. White walls. Glass doors. Soft music leaking faintly into the corridor. The kind of place meant to make people feel safe.
But the moment he stepped inside, something felt… off.
Raghav spoke to the receptionist and gestured for him to sit. He lowered himself into the chair, fingers interlocked tightly, eyes fixed on the floor. The air-conditioning was cold, but sweat still formed at his temples.
After a few minutes, a man in his late forties appeared.
“Come in,” the consultant said, smiling politely.
They entered a small room. Two chairs. A desk. A notebook. A ticking wall clock that suddenly felt too loud.
The consultant looked at him over his glasses.
“So… tell me what brings you here.”
He stayed silent.
Raghav cleared his throat. “He’s been struggling internally. Anxiety. Isolation. Overthinking. Loss of confidence.”
The consultant nodded as if he’d heard this story a hundred times before. He scribbled something in his notebook.
“And you?” the consultant asked, turning back to him. “What do you feel?”
He hesitated. Words crowded his mind, but none of them felt right. How could he explain something he himself didn’t fully understand?
“I feel… tired,” he finally said. “Not physically. Inside.”
The consultant smiled knowingly.
“That’s common. You just need to change your mindset. Think positively. Socialize more. Reduce screen time.”
He blinked.
That was it?
The consultant continued, “You’re intelligent. There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re just overthinking. Try meditation. I’ll prescribe something mild to help you sleep.”
Raghav nodded, satisfied.
But something inside him twisted.
This man didn’t ask about the walk in the heat.
Didn’t ask about the fear that crawled up his spine at night.
Didn’t ask about the thoughts he never spoke aloud.
The evil within wasn’t being seen.
He stood up abruptly.
“This is useless,” he said quietly.
Both men looked at him, surprised.
“You don’t know what I’m dealing with,” he continued, his voice controlled but firm. “You’re treating symptoms, not… whatever this is.”
The consultant frowned. “Young man, you’re overreacting.”
That sentence did it.
He walked out.
Outside
The sunlight hit his face again. Raghav followed him, irritated.
“What was that?” Raghav demanded. “You didn’t even give it a chance!”
He stopped near the gate and turned slowly.
“This isn’t about anxiety. Or confidence. Or work,” he said.
“There’s something else. Something darker.”
Raghav stared at him. “What are you talking about?”
Before he could answer, his phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
He froze.
Raghav noticed. “Who is it?”
He didn’t respond. He just stared at the screen.
A message appeared.
UNKNOWN:
You can’t run from it forever.
You felt it yesterday… on the road.
The walk was only the beginning.
His throat went dry.
Raghav leaned closer. “What is it?”
He slowly locked the phone and slipped it back into his pocket.
“Nothing,” he lied.
But his hands were trembling.
The consultant visit hadn’t failed.
It had confirmed something terrifying.
Whatever was breaking him…
wasn’t something that could be fixed by advice, medicine, or mindset.
It knew him.
It watched him.
And it had finally decided to speak.
The evil within was no longer silent.
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