With the lamp extinguished, the wooden walls of the hotel slowly take on the hidden form of the night, with some unseen sound. Moments stretch long, still, yet within each moment there is a vast fracture. As if everything has suddenly stopped, this small corner of the world now a great silent ocean.
Yusuf and Salih stand slowly in the darkness.
Shadows move in the darkness of the night. Yet this darkness, this air, this stillness, everything seems to be facing a mystery.
Salih's body has synchronised with his breathing. Every part of him, his breath, his shadow, his inner self, all merge with the darkness of the night.
Yusuf slowly senses that someone is drawing invisible lines. Every dark point, every blurred line, every slight tremor, everything points in one direction. Someone is there. Something that can only be found through silent attention. So he does not move.
Salih's eyes fly through the window toward the sky. Gaps in the clouds, the faint light of the moon seem to cast shadows. As if the darkness itself is looking back. Within the clouds of the sky, a sudden grey play begins, hidden in depth. Salih silently watches this unseen play of light and shadow.
The quiet behaviour of the outsiders makes the situation even more curious.
An unknown tension awakens within Yusuf. Because this darkness, this silence, this uncertainty in the room, is not just emptiness; rather it is a kind of preparation. One that loudly announces an approaching danger.
Yusuf remains silent. He understands that within the slow breathing of this moment, within this dialogue between darkness and sky, something truly is waiting for them. Sometimes darkness naturally shows lies, sometimes the simplest path leads to the deepest danger.
A strange silence. Where every shadow is telling a story.
Suddenly.
On the floor of the room, somewhere, the sound of someone's footsteps, then that sound stops halfway.
The mystery is like the stars in the sky, like shadows, revealing itself only step by step.
With the air comes a faint whispering sound, as if someone or something is speaking their names.
Salih sees a grey shadow, which silently vanishes from one corner to another."Yusuf, that way."
"Yes, I see it. Do not be afraid."
The silence of the night, the depth of the clouds in the sky, the unseen shadows, everything converges at a single point, where Yusuf and Salih are not just present, but are staring toward the mystery with a kind of spiritual firmness.
In his imagination, Yusuf sees every shadow moving toward him, the breaths like wolves sitting beneath the ground. His eyes see nothing, yet he can feel the movement around him, the tremble of air like grey clothing, as if someone's breath touches his shoulder, or the sound of crushed wood beneath a shoe.
And Salih?
He stands, eyes closed, trying to listen to sound. He bites his lip. The collar of his shirt is wet, with sweat, or fear, it is impossible to tell. He can feel even the shadows of the shadows standing on the ground. His voice has dried up. It is as if he is standing in a corner of that ancient cave, from which once entered, no one returns.
An unfamiliar, glacier-cold mystery.
Suddenly, the darkness around them awakens, the shadows hiding in the corners seem to come alive. Yusuf and Salih feel only that even the air has gone still, and suddenly the silence wraps around them with such a strange intensity, something that cannot be heard by the ears, cannot be seen by the eyes.
They see several shadows. Uneven in height, eyes strangely pale, as if the night has mixed into their blood. Their clothing is black, but not cloth, like shadows. Their stance is fully trained, even their breathing measured.
The clouds consume the last remaining light. The darkness breathes from within.
Yusuf realises that about twenty more people have entered within the darkness.
One steps forward. He does not smile, does not speak, only tilts his head slightly.
In an instant, Yusuf jumps. He throws himself into the empty space of the room. Within the darkness he begins to strike wildly in all directions with fists and kicks. His movement is animal-like, following no rules, only habit, will, and survival.
Salih screams and jumps back. He rolls into a corner in the darkness.
A man leaps out from within the shadows. His hands seem to cut through the air. But he makes a mistake.
Yusuf clenches his teeth and turns. His hands are empty, but his body is not, his body is experience. He twists the opponent's wrist in such a way that no sound of bones breaking is heard, only the cry of the air. The man falls to the ground, breath knocked out.
Yusuf shouts loudly,"Salih, be careful. I will handle the rest."
Salih swallows hard in the darkness.
The night moves forward, but this is no ordinary night. This is a night where every shadow, every particle of air, every sound points toward an unknown future. This mystery is crossing its limits. One thing is clear, this night, this room, this darkness, everything is the beginning of their journey.
Four move at once.
One man leaps straight at Yusuf from within the shadows. His movement is like lightning, no warning, no sound. At the last moment, Yusuf rolls aside. The strike slices through the air beside his ear. It crashes into the wooden wall, the wood splitting with a scream.
Salih senses someone close and jumps again.
His foot lands directly on someone's foot. Not the sound of bones breaking, only the sound of a crushed breath bursting out.
Salih runs the other way into the darkness.
Another man leaps at Yusuf from behind.
The man's arm locks around Yusuf's neck. Breath cuts off. Yusuf throws his head back, once, twice. The man loses balance, but does not let go.
In an instant, Yusuf drives his elbow into the man's throat. The man is thrown backward into the darkness.
The moon tears free of the clouds and rises into the full sky.
The faint moonlight breaks through the window.
Blows land on Yusuf's hands, he shoves someone, someone crashes and falls. One body, then another, then another again, all within the darkness. He does not know whom he is striking, he only knows that he is striking.
Four black figures rise from the floor. Silent, eyeless, but hungry. It is as if the darkness itself has made a decision.
The shadows separate. Their shadows stretch long across the floor. They advance silently toward Yusuf.
There is no emotion in Yusuf's eyes. He suddenly strikes with both hands at once.
The darkness around them is awakening. The shadows hiding in the corners seem to come alive. Without lamps, the entire hotel feels not like the world, but a small realm. The night sky, blurred clouds, and a strange condition. Where every shadow tells a story.
Yusuf charges forward with a shout.
Suddenly, for the first time, the shadows retreat. The shadows no longer follow them.
Yusuf freezes. He and Salih only feel as if even the air has gone still, and suddenly the silence wraps around them with such a strange intensity, something that cannot be heard by the ears, cannot be seen by the eyes.
Silence, darkness, sky.