The night that stole my freedom

Last night, I had to go from the road through American International School to Taramani. It was around 11 pm but I decided to walk since it was just 900m away. The roads, usually bustling with traffic in the morning, were completely deserted and out of nowhere, two men in a bike were coming in the wrong direction of the road and crossed me. I felt something off and started walking faster. Few seconds later, they crossed me again in the direction I was walking in and the man sitting at the back turned and stared at me until I was far away from their sight. That look… it was intense, unsettling. I felt like I was being perceived as something vulnerable—like I could be taken or controlled without any real resistance. It wasn’t just a glance; it felt predatory. I am trained in multiple martial arts and could have taken down armed men unless they are professionals or something and still they succeeded in making me feel ‘unsafe’ just by looking. This was a wake up call that my freedom of movement is worthless. How does it matter if I am struggling with insomnia, unable to sleep until it’s 6 am? Being in a state far away from family where I have absolutely nobody and no friends, I have to work around the sun and should cease to exist outside of its hours if I have to survive.