Episode -3 : The Name That Shouldn't Exist

Rk didn’t sleep that night.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the lake.

Not clearly.

Not completely.

Just fragments—

Water.

A scream.

A hand slipping away.

And his own silence standing like a wall.

Morning came too fast.

School didn’t feel normal anymore.

It felt like it was holding its breath.

Waiting for something else to break.

Aria didn’t show up for first period.

That alone was enough to make the entire class restless.

“Did she get taken in again?” someone

whispered.

“No… I heard she’s being watched.”

“She’s involved, right?”

“Everyone says she is.”

Rk stayed quiet.

But his mind wasn’t.

At lunch break, Hasan sat beside him.

“You’ve been weird since yesterday,” Hasan said carefully. “People are talking, Rk.”

Rk didn’t look up. “Let them talk.”

Hasan lowered his voice. “About Aria too.”

That made him pause.

“What about her?”

Hasan hesitated. “Some seniors said… she wasn’t even supposed to be in this school.”

Rk frowned. “What do you mean?”

“They said she transferred after something happened in another school. Something serious.”

Silence stretched.

Then Hasan added quietly:

“And that she changes schools a lot.”

Rk’s phone buzzed.

Unknown number again.

“Ask about the fire.”

Rk’s grip tightened.

“What fire?” he muttered.

Hasan blinked. “What?”

“Nothing.”

But now it was there.

Another piece.

Another missing gap in his memory that felt like it had always been missing.

After school, Rk went to the library.

Not because he wanted to.

Because he needed something real.

Something that wasn’t broken memories and whispered accusations.

He searched old school records.

Fingers scrolling through digital archives.

Until—

He found it.

Shahid Smriti High School — Incident Report

(3 years ago)

His breath slowed.

He clicked.

A school trip.

A lake resort outside Dhaka.

Students listed.

Teachers listed.

Everything normal.

Until—

A paragraph marked redacted.

“Student injury incident involving fire alarm trigger and evacuation confusion.”

Rk frowned.

Fire?

That wasn’t in what he remembered.

Another file appeared beneath it.

Accident witness list.

He clicked.

And froze.

Rk Chowdhury — Witness (Present at scene)

Aria Rahman — Missing during evacuation

Missing?

That wasn’t right.

He remembered her being there.

Didn’t he?

A sharp headache hit him.

Rk leaned back in the chair.

Something in his mind resisted.

Like a locked door being forced open.

Then—

A voice behind him.

“You’re digging again.”

Rk turned quickly.

Aria stood between the bookshelves.

No smile this time.

No teasing calm.

Just exhaustion.

And something heavier.

“You shouldn’t look at that,” she said.

Rk stood. “Then explain it.”

Aria didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, she walked closer.

Slow steps.

Measured.

Careful.

Like she was approaching something fragile.

“That trip,” she said quietly, “didn’t end the way you think it did.”

Rk’s voice sharpened. “Then what happened?”

Aria looked away for the first time.

“…Someone started a fire.”

Rk frowned. “Where?”

“In the dorm area.”

A pause.

“And people panicked.”

“And?” Rk pressed.

Her hands clenched slightly.

“And someone got left behind.”

The words hit harder than expected.

Rk swallowed. “Who?”

Aria finally looked at him.

And for a moment—

She looked younger.

Tired.

Almost human.

“A girl named Nira.”

The name meant nothing.

But his stomach tightened anyway.

“She died in that incident?” Rk asked.

Aria shook her head.

“No.”

A pause.

“Everyone thought she survived.”

Silence.

Heavy.

Wrong.

Rk whispered, “Then where is she now?”

Aria stepped closer.

So close now he could hear her breathing.

“She’s the one sending you messages.”

The world tilted slightly.

Rk stared at her. “That’s impossible.”

Aria’s voice dropped.

“Is it?”

Before he could respond—

His phone vibrated again.

A message.

New.

Different number.

A voice note attached.

Rk hesitated.

Then pressed play.

Static.

Breathing.

Then a faint voice—

A girl’s voice.

Broken.

But familiar in a way he couldn’t explain.

“You… promised you’d come back.”

A pause.

Then softer—

“But you left me there.”

Rk’s hand went cold.

The audio ended.

Aria watched his face carefully.

“You recognize it now, don’t you?” she asked.

Rk shook his head. “No… I don’t.”

But his voice wasn’t convincing.

Even to himself.

Aria exhaled slowly.

“Then the game has already started for you.”

Rk stepped back. “What game?”

Her eyes darkened slightly.

“The one where truth gets dragged out… no

matter how deep you buried it.”

A loud crash echoed from outside the library.

Students shouting.

Footsteps running.

Both of them turned.

A group had gathered near the notice board.

Someone was screaming.

Rk pushed through the crowd.

And stopped.

A photo had been pinned to the board.

Printed.

Fresh.

It showed him.

Standing at the lake.

Three years ago.

Looking at something in the water.

And underneath it—

A message.

Written in bold letters.

“HE DIDN’T SAVE HER.”

Rk’s breath stopped.

Behind him, Aria whispered—

“…Now everyone knows.”

And somewhere far away—

A phone lit up in the dark.

Unknown number.

Typing.

“Next confession: Aria Rahman.”

End of Episode 3

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