Chapter 2 — Someone Is Awake

Vihaan didn’t open the cupboard.

Not that night.

He stood there for what felt like minutes, his hand frozen in the air, his body refusing to move. The silence inside the cupboard was worse than the sound.

Because now he knew something was there.

And it knew he was standing right outside.

Slowly, he stepped back.

Then another step.

And without taking his eyes off the cupboard, he reached behind him and grabbed his phone from the bed.

The screen flickered back to life.

2:17 AM.

Still.

It hadn’t changed.

Vihaan swallowed hard.

“Yeh… normal nahi hai,” he whispered.

The room felt tighter. Smaller. Like the walls were closing in.

He didn’t sleep after that.

He sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the cupboard until the first light of morning slipped through the window.

And just like that—

Everything was normal again.

The cupboard was closed.

The door was locked.

The air felt… empty.

As if nothing had happened.

The next day felt unreal.

Vihaan moved through it like a blur, replaying the night over and over in his head.

Maybe it was stress.

Maybe he imagined it.

Maybe—

“Tum naye ho yahan?”

The voice came from behind him.

Vihaan turned.

A girl stood a few steps away, watching him.

She looked calm. Too calm.

“Haan,” he replied, a little unsure. “Kal hi shift hua hoon.”

She nodded slowly, as if confirming something.

“Room number 3?” she asked.

Vihaan frowned. “Haan… kaise pata?”

The girl didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she looked past him, toward the building.

Then back at him.

“Raat ko awaaz aati hai?” she asked quietly.

Vihaan felt his chest tighten.

“Tum kya kehna chahti ho?” he said.

For a moment, she just stared at him.

Then—

“Darwaza khul jaata hai na… khud se,” she said.

Silence.

Vihaan’s fingers curled slightly.

“Tum… kaun ho?” he asked.

“Naina,” she replied.

The name felt familiar.

For some reason, he didn’t like that.

Before he could say anything else, she stepped back.

“2:17,” she said softly. “Sone mat rehna.”

And then she walked away.

That night—

Vihaan didn’t sleep.

He sat on his bed, phone in his hand, eyes fixed on the clock.

2:16 AM.

His breathing slowed.

The room was silent.

Too silent.

2:17 AM.

The screen flickered.

The temperature dropped.

And this time—

Vihaan didn’t look at the door.

He looked at the cupboard.

Waiting.

Watching.

The handle moved.

Slowly.

A soft creak filled the room as the cupboard door began to open on its own.

Vihaan didn’t move.

He didn’t blink.

“Main dekh raha hoon…” he whispered.

The door opened wider.

Darkness spilled out from inside.

Thicker than the rest of the room.

And then—

Something inside shifted.

Not forward.

Not backward.

Just enough.

Like it knew he was watching.

Vihaan’s voice came out weaker this time.

“Tum… kya chahte ho?”

For a second—

Nothing happened.

Then—

From inside the cupboard—

A whisper.

So faint, he almost missed it.

“Mat… kholo…”

Vihaan froze.

His heart skipped.

Because the voice—

It wasn’t threatening.

It was warning him.

And before he could react—

The cupboard slammed shut.

The lights came back.

The air returned to normal.

And the clock changed.

2:18 AM.

Vihaan didn’t move.

Because now—

He understood one thing.

Whatever was inside—

Was not the only thing in that room.

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