[SCENE: THE HOSTEL ROOM - MORNING]
It was morning. Around 6:17 AM, Darshan woke up in his hostel room.
He reached for his phone. The screen flickered to life.
SUNDAY.
"Hey, Chandu..." Darshan mumbled, turning toward his friend’s bed.
But the moment he saw him, his heart skipped a beat.
"Chandu! Chandu, what happened?!"
Chandu was lying there, but his eyes were wide open—staring blankly at nothing.
Panicked, Darshan shook him. "Hey! Chandu! Wake up!"
No response.
Panic set in. Darshan sprinted to the door and looked out into the hallway.
Empty.
No students. No cooks. Not even the Warden. The entire hostel was a ghost town.
Desperate, Darshan grabbed Chandu’s phone to call his family. As soon as he bypassed the lock screen, a video file appeared.
Darshan hit PLAY.
[VIDEO FOOTAGE BEGINS]
TIME: 7:30 PM (LAST NIGHT)
The hostel dinner bell rings. [SFX: CLANG! CLANG!]
Chandu grabs his plate and shouts to the other boys, "Slow down, guys! The food isn't going anywhere!"
He washes his plate and enters the canteen. He presses his thumb against the sensor.
[SFX: BEEP—BIOMETRIC CLEARED]
Inside, he spots a friend. "Hey Gautam! You’re crossing the line, man. I’ll deal with you later!"
Gautam laughs. "What did I do, machi? You upset because I didn't buy you Biryani?"
"Forget it," Chandu mutters with a smirk.
He sits down next to Darshan with his meal.
"We’re sitting here playing games while the internals are on Monday..." Chandu sighs.
Gautam scoffs. "Drop it, machi. You’ve probably studied already."
Chandu fires back, "If you just kept quiet, it would be fine! It’s because of people like you that we aren't progressing. Get lost!"
Darshan interrupts, "Don't forget, canteen tomorrow at 9:00 AM."
"Yeah, let's go, guru," Chandu replies.
TIME: MIDNIGHT
Chandu finishes his meal, drinks water, and scrolls through Reels for a while before falling into a deep sleep.
TIME: 2:00 AM
Chandu wakes up. He needs to use the washroom.
He opens the door and steps out into the dark corridor.
[SFX: FOOTSTEPS ECHOING]
He stops at the hostel threshold. Something feels wrong. Suspicious.
In the corner of his eye, he sees it. A black figure—a dark silhouette standing perfectly still, watching him.
Chandu freezes. He whips his head around.
Nothing.
Suddenly—[SFX: CLICK]—the lights go out.
He sees a flicker of movement near the stairs, like someone peeking from the shadows.
Chandu begins to sweat. His breath hitches. He turns slowly... but there is nothing there.
He moves toward the stairs, heart hammering.
As he begins to climb... The Black Figure lunges out to trip him!
"AAAARGH!" Chandu screams.
He tumbles back and starts sprinting down the stairs. The thing is behind him.
He bursts out of the hostel and looks back. Down the long, dimly lit corridor, the black silhouette stands like a statue.
"What is that...? A ghost? Or something else...?"
Suddenly, the figure starts sprinting toward him with unnatural speed.
Chandu runs for his life.
He runs until his lungs burn. He stops far from the hostel and looks back.
"What... what was that thing?"
The street is empty. But then, he looks up at the hostel roof.
Dozens of black figures are walking on the terrace.
Chandu watches in horror as they all stop at once. They stand stiff, like dolls.
Then, they all turn their heads simultaneously—staring directly at him.
He blinks. They are gone.
But then he notices the hostel entrance. Shadows are pouring out of the door.
It’s them.
"NO! NO!"
Chandu screams and sprints toward the city center.
He reaches the town square, exhausted. He collapses onto a stone bench, gasping for air.
His vision begins to blur. Through the haze, he sees a dark shape in the distance... charging toward him.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
[SFX: CAMERA DISTORTION / BLUR]
[VIDEO ENDS]
Darshan is drenched in cold sweat.
"How... how was this recorded?"
He looks at Chandu’s body on the bed. "He is right here. Then how could he be in the town square?"
Suddenly—
CHANDU: "What’s up with the town? The dinner bell just rang. Let’s go."
Darshan freezes. "Nothing... go on. I’m coming."
Darshan’s mind is racing.
(Wait... the person who just spoke...)
He looks at Chandu with pure terror.
Chandu picks up his plate and walks out of the room.
DARSHAN: "What just happened? Is this an illusion... or what?"
TO BE CONTINUED...!!
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