As Ananya and Meher walked through the winding corridors of the hostel, the world around them seemed to shift. What had begun as a simple stroll turned into something stranger. The usual warmth of the sunlight faded, and the shadows stretched longer, as though the day itself was reluctant to end.
They continued walking, unaware at first of the change. The air grew still, the temperature dipping subtly, sending a chill through the atmosphere. The silence was unnerving—thick, almost sentient—as if the hostel had taken a breath and was holding it.
Ananya, usually perceptive, didn't notice the shift right away. She was lost in her thoughts, Meher's words replaying in her head. "Let things unfold naturally." A sentiment she respected, yet struggled with. Still, she had changed the subject, tucked her feelings away, and decided to focus on the moment.
At first, it was just that—a corridor. Familiar. Dimly lit. But as they walked, the air began to change. The light dimmed not just from sunset, but from something heavier. The shadows lengthened unnaturally, clinging to corners they didn't belong to.
The air grew cold—not the evening chill, but a hollow, creeping cold that slid down Ananya's spine.
Something is wrong, she thought.
It wasn't fear that settled in her chest—it was confusion. Why?
Why is this happening now... with Meher beside me?
In the past, these things only happened when she was alone—when the air bent wrong and silence had weight. But now Meher was here, walking quietly ahead. Calm. Unbothered. That made it worse.
Ananya's gaze sharpened. Meher wasn't reacting.
She wasn't even noticing. Her steps were steady, her breath relaxed—almost like… like she wasn't experiencing it at all.
Then it appeared.
A faint glimmer.
Sliding across the floor just a few steps ahead—a crystal.
Small. Smooth. Glowing faintly, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Ananya froze.
The thing moved—not quite rolled, but glided, like it didn't follow the rules of the floor beneath it. It shimmered, not with light, but with something deeper—like it didn't belong in this world.
She felt a strange pull. Not comfort. Not recognition. But a need to know.
"Meher…" she called out, softly.
But Meher was already around the corner—gone from view. And somehow, that felt... deliberate.
Ananya took a step forward.
Then another.
Following the crystal—not because she understood it, but because it shouldn't have been there. Not in this place, not in this moment where the hostel felt alive in all the wrong ways.
With every step, the corridor twisted subtly.
The walls curved.
The lights above flickered, then dimmed completely.
It was like the building was watching.
Then the crystal stopped.
Ananya bent down and picked it up.
The moment her fingers wrapped around its cool surface—
Everything changed.
The chill vanished.
The crawling silence shattered.
It was as if something that had been inching closer—something she hadn't seen but had felt—was suddenly gone.
She blinked.
Gone was the corridor. Gone was the air she had just breathed.
She was no longer in the hostel.