Episode 3: Trapped
Darshan stood frozen, watching in utter shock as Chandu picked up the plate and walked away. It was a simple action, but for Darshan, it was a nightmare—it was happening exactly the way he had seen it in the video. Even the way Chandu spoke, his every word and every gesture, was a perfect, chilling echo of that footage.
Observing this, a wave of terror washed over Darshan.
"What is this!?" he whispered to himself, his mind racing. "Everything is repeating exactly like that video. Is this a trap? Is it something else? I truly don’t understand... am I the one trapped? Or is Chandu trapped? Or are we both just lost inside this massive illusion?"
His face became a map of fear and frantic thoughts, his eyes searching for a glitch in a reality that no longer felt real.
Chandu and Darshan took their meals and sat on the canteen bench. Watching Chandu's words and behavior remain absolutely unchanged—not even by a fraction—Darshan felt a cold grip of fear seize his heart.
"No, this is definitely an illusion!" he thought frantically. "I must tell Chandu somehow and we both need to escape from here. Otherwise, we will be stuck in this loop forever!"
Interrupting his thoughts, Chandu asked, "Hey Darshan, what happened?"
Gautam laughed and added, "Lately, he’s always lost in some thought, brother!"
Darshan forced a smile, but internally, he was consumed by terror and the desperate need to find a way out.
"I have to make Chandu understand this somehow," he resolved. After dinner, around 10:30 PM, Darshan approached Chandu.
"Chandu, I need to tell you something."
"Tell me, what's the news?" Chandu replied casually.
"Look Chandu, we are trapped somewhere right now!"
"Trapped? I don't understand," Chandu said, confused.
"We aren't in the hostel; we are trapped somewhere else. This isn't the real world. I feel like we are stuck in some unknown place."
Chandu stared at him for a moment and then burst into fits of laughter. "What on earth are you saying!? Have you lost a bolt or what? Nothing like that is happening, just go to sleep!"
"Listen to what I'm saying, Chandu—"
"It's already late. Don't try to scare me with this 'trapped' talk. Go to bed," Chandu dismissed him and sat on his bed, scrolling through reels and laughing. Darshan looked at him, feeling a deep sense of helplessness.
That night, sleep eluded Darshan. The clock continued its relentless tick-tick. He picked up his phone to check the time. It was 12:42 AM. Slowly, despite his racing mind, Darshan began to drift into a shallow sleep.
Two hours passed. Suddenly, Chandu woke up and walked out of the room. Just like before, Darshan felt a chilling sensation, as if someone was watching them from behind. He snapped out of his sleep and noticed the door was wide open. Suddenly, a piercing scream from Chandu—"Aaah!"—echoed from outside.
Panicked, Darshan checked the time: 2:17 AM. He dashed out immediately. There it was—that dark figure, standing still. Darshan watched in horror as Chandu peeked over the stairs to see who was there. The shadow lunged, trying to throw him down. Screaming, Chandu scrambled back down the stairs just as Darshan reached him.
"Chandu!" Darshan yelled, running toward his friend.
Chandu looked at Darshan, his eyes wide with terror. Seeing the dark figure closing in, Darshan grabbed Chandu, and they bolted out of the hostel. "We have to escape from here right now!" Darshan shouted.
At that exact moment, the black shadow started sprinting toward them. Darshan and Chandu ran for their lives, stumbling and gasping for air. After running a distance, Chandu tried to look back.
"Chandu, don't stop! Keep moving!!" Darshan screamed. More of those dark figures began emerging from inside the hostel. Darshan grabbed Chandu's hand, pulling him along as they fled toward the town.
They ran until they reached the heart of the town, exhausted and breathless. Darshan looked around frantically, "Is there any way out? Any side path!?" But there was no escape. Every path seemed blocked. Chandu finally collapsed, unable to take another step.
"Chandu, get up!"
"Macha, I can't... I can't breathe," Chandu gasped, sitting down on the ground.
In the distance, the black figures were looming closer, gliding toward them. "Chandu, stand up! They are coming right for us!" Darshan pleaded. As the shadows approached, the entire area plunged into a deeper, suffocating darkness. The figures were now inches away. Terrified, Darshan closed his eyes tight, waiting for the end.
CRAAASH!
A sound like hollow glass shattering echoed through the void. Suddenly, a brilliant blue light fell upon Darshan. When he slowly opened his eyes, he saw a tall, mysterious figure standing firmly in front of them, shielding them from the darkness.
To be continued...!!
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