Farmwatch Residence was a three-story building painted a dirty beige, with long exterior corridors stretching across each level, guarding a series of identical, anonymous doors.It wasn't in ruins, but it bore the unmistakable mark of constant neglect: peeling paint, a rusted railing here, a cracked window there.
Next to the main building stood a tiny structure, about the size of a spacious bathroom, serving as an office.A white plastic sign with faded blue letters announced:
"INFORMATION – FARMWATCH RESIDENCE"
Nihil pressed the doorbell—a white button with cracked plastic—and immediately, with a metallic shhh-clack, the sliding glass door flew open, revealing the interior and its occupant.
She was a demon girl. Her skin was a pale reddish tone, and two small, twisted horns—like a goat's—jutted out from her messy mane of jet-black hair.But what stood out the most was her expression: a smile so wide and electric it seemed to consume half her face.
-WELCOME, DEAR CUSTOMER! Are you here to request information?
Her voice was a torpedo of enthusiasm that slammed straight into the wall of Nihil's exhaustion.
The attitude was over-the-top, but not in a way that felt fake. It was simply… loud. Yes, like a puppy—but not quite annoying. Just… far too much enthusiasm for someone like Nihil to handle right now.
-Hello. I'd like to know the prices for a room, and whether you still have availability.
-OF COURSE! ahem Would you mind stepping inside so I can inform you more comfortably?
It wasn't an invitation—it was a fact.
She grabbed him by the arm with surprising strength and guided—no, practically shoved—him into the tiny office.
The space was occupied by a single table, a swivel chair, and a filing cabinet. The demon girl slammed the door shut and slid behind the desk like an actor taking their place on stage.
-So tell me! Are you looking for lodging for a few hours, a few days, or are you interested in a long-term stay?
-Hmmm… I'm looking for a long-term stay, if possible.
-EXCELLENT!
She shouted it as if she had just won the lottery.
-LOOK! Our basic guest plan includes a furnished one-bedroom, one-bathroom unit for only 7,000 Noks per month—and that already includes electricity and water contracts!
Nihil heard her, but her words faded into a distant buzz. His body, his mind—everything in him was screaming to stop.
He could look for more options. He could negotiate. He could ask about other plans… but the mere idea of taking another step, hearing another explanation, making another decision, was physically painful.
A powerful inertia, born of absolute exhaustion, pushed him toward the most immediate option.
'I guess this will be my new home,' he thought, with a resignation that tasted like defeat.
-It sounds like a fairly… reasonable price.
The demon blinked, and her smile dimmed for a fraction of a second. She seemed genuinely surprised—perhaps disappointed that she wouldn't get to launch into her full speech about premium plans.
-PERFECT! Now all that's left is payment. Will you be paying in cash or by card?
-Card.
-VERY WELL! Would you like the charge to be automatic every month?
-Yes.
His answer was a sigh of surrender. He handed over the black card not out of pragmatism, but because it was the path of least resistance.
He no longer had the energy to oppose anything—he barely had the energy to think of an alternative.
The demon swiped the card, printed a receipt with a screech, and returned everything along with two old, heavy keys.
-OKAY, THAT WOULD BE EVERYTHING! This is your key along with the spare. Your room is number 13, on the third floor. Would you like me to guide you there?
-No, that won't be necessary.
-VERY WELL! ENJOY YOUR STAY!
-See you later, "landlady."
-ALMOST FORGOT! My name is Vesna.
Nihil stopped and slowly turned around. Truth be told, he hadn't even thought about names.In a place like this, they felt like mere formalities.
-And I'm Nihil.
-NICE TO MEET YOU, NIHIL!
-Thanks.
Nihil managed to say, freeing his hand and finally escaping into the relative quiet of the night.
'I'm so fucking tired. I just want to get to my room and have the world disappear,' was the only coherent thought he managed to form.
A mantra of exhaustion, repeated with every step toward the exterior staircase.
-Sigh… finally, all that talking is over.
He murmured to himself as he began climbing the metal stairs that groaned beneath his weight.
The third floor was a clone of the lower ones: a long, bare corridor lit by yellowish bulbs that cast more shadows than light.Door number 13 waited at the far end like a distant goal. Nihil started walking, the echo of his own footsteps keeping him company.
That was when, halfway down the corridor, a door opened.
From it emerged a tall, spectral figure, dressed in dark, loose clothing. But what caught Nihil's attention was the mane of black hair—so long and thick it completely covered the head and fell like a cloak over the shoulders.
Yet within that curtain of darkness, a pale glint shone: a white eye, pupil-less, that for an instant locked directly onto Nihil's empty eye sockets.
A cold eye contact, like a touch of ice at the nape of his neck.
'Act like nothing happened and keep walking,' was the immediate, visceral command that surged through his mind.
And that was exactly what he did.
He averted his gaze, kept his pace steady, and continued forward, feeling the pressure of that ghostly eye drilling into his back until he reached his door.
The key turned with a satisfying click. As he crossed the threshold, a wave of relief washed over him.
The room was exactly like in the photos: a small studio with a worn sofa, a small table, a tiny kitchenette, and a single bed that looked like the most glorious place in the universe.
-Finally, I can get some sleep… I'm dying here.
Nihil let himself fall forward. His backpack and phone flew off his shoulders and hit the floor with a dull thud.He followed, crashing onto the thin mattress, which barely cushioned the fall and released a small cloud of dust.
-A little nap… and I'll be good as new.
It was the last thing he thought before darkness—dense and immediate—swallowed him completely.
It wasn't a dream.There were no nightmares.
It was total absence. A blackout of consciousness. A sinking into the quiet, black depths of an exhaustion that went far beyond the physical.
…
…
…
THREE DAYS LATER