SONG PLAYING ''INSANITY- By Isolated''
The scent of stale takeout and dust motes dancing in the weak afternoon light clung to the air as Rami's worn sneakers squeaked against the linoleum floor of her apartment.
The hallway, narrow and dimly lit by a flickering bulb, always carried a faint undercurrent of something vaguely metallic, a smell she'd long since stopped noticing until it was sharp enough to make her wrinkle her nose.
Inside her own unit, the air was marginally better, carrying the slightly sweet, earthy aroma of the plants precariously perched on her windowsill and the faint, clean scent emanating from Snow's enclosure.
She dropped her heavy backpack with a soft thud near the door, the sound echoing in the small space. The peeling paint on the walls seemed a little more pronounced in the fading light, and the mismatched furniture held the quiet stillness of a place lived in but not cherished.
After shrugging off her jacket and tossing it onto the back of a threadbare armchair, Rami moved to the small kitchen area. The sink held a precarious stack of dishes from last night, each one a testament to her late-night study sessions and subsequent exhaustion. She ran a hand through her hair, feeling the familiar tangle at the nape of her neck.
The apartment felt heavy, the silence amplifying the low hum of the refrigerator in the corner.
Later, the glow of her laptop screen illuminated her face as she hunched over her assignments. The rhythmic tap-tap-tapping of her fingers on the keyboard was the only sound for a long while, punctuated by the occasional sigh as she wrestled with a particularly complex problem.
The lukewarm coffee in the chipped mug beside her had long since lost its appeal, but she sipped it anyway, the bitter taste a familiar companion to late-night work. The digital words on the screen swam slightly as her eyelids grew heavy, the artificial light casting long shadows across the cramped room.
Finally, with a satisfied click as she saved her work, Rami leaned back in her chair, the worn springs groaning in protest. A sense of quiet accomplishment settled over her, a small island of calm in the otherwise chaotic sea of her responsibilities. Her gaze drifted towards the corner of the room, where Snow's terrarium sat, a self-contained world of green foliage and smooth stones.
A soft smile touched her lips as she rose and approached the glass enclosure. Inside, nestled amongst the moss, was Snow, her albino scales gleaming faintly in the ambient light filtering from the window. Snow was more than just a pet; she was a quiet, constant presence in her life. Rami gently tapped on the glass, and Snow's small, delicate head lifted, her black eyes, like tiny beads, focusing on Rami. There was a stillness to her gaze, an ancient quality that Rami often found strangely comforting.
She opened the lid of the terrarium, the subtle scent of damp earth and decaying leaves rising to meet her. Reaching in slowly, she extended a hand towards Snow. The snake moved with a fluid grace, her smooth scales cool against Rami's skin as she slithered onto her hand.
The sensation was familiar, almost soothing, a tangible connection in the often-intangible world of her studies and work. Rami lifted Snow gently, the slight weight of her body a comforting pressure in her palm. She brought Snow closer, feeling the almost imperceptible flick of her tongue against her wrist.
In the quiet of her small apartment, with the soft light casting long shadows, it was just Rami and Snow, a moment of simple connection in the slow unfolding of another night.
BANG- a cruel sound broke the harmony as the building tilted sideways.
Ear numbing beep assaulted her ears as she lost her balance.
With a muffled thump she landed hard on her sides rolling with the tilting building on the stale floor. particles of small rocks and concrete fell as dust permeated the air heavily, her eyes searched around as the ears numbing beep seemed to lull her body to sleep.
''snow...'' Her voice weak as she called out to snow who had been flung to the side, faint flashing mixed lights filled the room as muffled screams and sirens followed. An earthquake, they call it; but it happened too fast, too sudden. the build tilting side ways snapped in the middle the other half collapsing as the top hit the newly made asphalt road, immediately disintegrating to pieces of debris and iron rods.