Chapter 1
“Zayn! Open the door, please!” A frantic knock and a shout from outside jolted Zayn awake. He had just dozed off after working late on his architecture assignment. Still groggy, he stumbled to the door, noticing the pitch darkness, it was a blackout. Outside, heavy rain poured relentlessly, accompanied by thunder rumbling through the night sky.
“What the hell? I just fell asleep, and you’re already bothering me!” Zayn snapped as he opened the door to find Varo, his housemate and fellow university student, standing there drenched.
“Bro, power’s out! I’m scared... and it’s like a storm out here,” Varo blurted, barging into Zayn’s room uninvited. Zayn sighed in irritation. Too tired to argue, he let his friend crash on the bed. Just as he was about to close the door, another hand stopped him.
“Wait! I’m sleeping here too. I’ll leave as soon as the lights come back on,” announced Desta, another housemate, before squeezing his way into the room. Zayn, a second-year architecture student, ran a hand through his messy hair in frustration.
“God, why are you guys such scaredy-cats? It’s just a blackout! Close your eyes and go to sleep instead of bothering me,” he grumbled. But in the end, he relented and climbed back onto the bed, shoving Varo to make room.
“Zayn, you’re single, but you have a king-size bed? Share the space, dude…” Varo muttered as he tried to move over.
“It’s my bed! Stop complaining and just sleep!” Zayn barked back. Meanwhile, Desta, who had already claimed a corner of the bed, began snoring softly. Outside, the storm raged on. Thunder grew distant, leaving only the constant patter of rain against the windows. Time passed, and the three housemates fell into a deep sleep.
“Zayn... Zayn, wake up,” a hushed voice and a nudge on his arm shook Zayn from his slumber. He forced his eyes open and saw Varo and Desta standing over him.
“What now?” Zayn groaned, his tone laced with annoyance. “Do you hear that? A baby crying?” Desta whispered cautiously. Still half-asleep, Zayn sat up, rubbing his temples. The pounding in his head grew worse with every interruption. But he decided to humor his friends and strained to listen. Beyond the sound of rain, a faint wail was audible. It grew louder and clearer.
“What the...? Whose baby is that? It sounds really close,” Zayn said, now fully alert.
“No idea,” Desta replied nervously.
“But it’s weird. Our house is pretty far from the nearest neighbors, and even if they had a baby, we wouldn’t hear it this clearly.” Zayn grabbed his phone from the desk, the screen lighting up to display 2:15 AM.
“Let’s check it out,” Zayn suggested, already on his feet. “Wait, are you serious?” Varo protested. “What if it’s... not a baby? What if it’s... you know, something else?” Zayn smirked. “Then I’ll propose to the ghost so she can marry you. Maybe she’s looking for a husband.”
“Don’t joke about that, man! Words have power!” Varo snapped, his face pale. Ignoring him, Zayn walked toward the living room, with Desta and Varo trailing closely behind. The three friends rented a small house with three bedrooms, two downstairs, along with a living room and kitchen, and one upstairs with access to a balcony and rooftop laundry area. To split the rent and stay close to campus, they’d agreed to live together. Zayn stopped abruptly in the middle of the living room.
The baby’s cries were much louder now. Slowly, he moved toward the large window overlooking the front porch. With cautious hands, he pulled back the curtain. Varo and Desta huddled close, peeking through the glass. A sudden flash of lightning lit up the dark sky.
“Holy!” All three shouted in unison. Zayn quickly opened the door, with Varo and Desta following. On the porch, illuminated briefly by the lightning, was a wicker basket near one of the wooden pillars. The unmistakable sound of crying came from the basket. Without hesitation, Zayn picked it up, while Desta grabbed a small bag lying next to it. As soon as they stepped back inside, the power came back on, flooding the room with light. The baby stopped crying, now busy sucking on its tiny thumb. Zayn set the basket on the coffee table, and the three of them sat in a circle around it, their eyes wide with confusion.
“Whose baby is this? Who would leave a baby out in the rain like that?” Zayn muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
“Beats me,” Desta replied. “But what are we supposed to do now? People these days... they mess around, and when the consequences show up, they just abandon them.”
“Is this your kid, Zayn?” Varo asked out of the blue.
“What? Are you insane? How would this baby be mine?”
“Well, maybe you knocked up your girlfriend, and now she’s dropping the kid off for you to take responsibility,” Varo suggested, smirking.
“What! Don’t accuse me of such nonsense! You think Sherly’s pregnant? Do I look like the type to do that? I still ask my parents for allowance, man. The most I’ve done with Sherly is eat lunch in the cafeteria. Why would I pray and fast if I was out committing sins?” Zayn snapped, clearly offended.
“Haha, okay, sorry, man. My bad,” Varo said sheepishly, raising his hands in surrender.
“I’m still a virgin, thank you very much,” Zayn added firmly.
“Now, can we focus on what we’re going to do with this baby?” As if sensing their concern, the baby began crying again, louder this time. Zayn instinctively picked the infant up, albeit awkwardly. He had seen his cousin calm a baby by gently rocking it, so he tried to mimic the motion. To his surprise, the baby seemed to settle in his arms.
Then, something slipped out of the blanket wrapped around the baby. A small blue envelope landed on the floor. The three of them stared at it, frozen. Zayn crouched down to pick it up, carefully opening it with one hand while cradling the baby in the other. His expression darkened as he read the contents.
“Zayn, what does it say?” whispered Desta, his voice tense. writ
