Aarav couldn't think about anything else.
Naina.
The locked room.
The piano.
Her voice.
Her death.
And most importantly—
Mishra ji.
Everything pointed toward him.
Everything.
That evening, Aarav sat alone in his room, staring at the wall.
Room 218.
The silence had returned.
But now—
It didn't feel empty.
It felt like something was listening.
Aarav clenched his jaw.
"I can't just sit here…"
He stood up.
His decision was made.
He was going to confront Mishra ji.
The corridor downstairs was dimly lit.
The same flickering light.
The same suffocating silence.
Mishra ji sat at the reception desk, going through some papers.
Calm.
As if nothing had ever happened.
Aarav walked toward him.
Slowly.
"Mujhe aapse baat karni hai," he said.
Mishra ji didn't look up.
"Kis baare me?"
Aarav's voice turned cold.
"Naina ke baare me."
Silence.
The papers in Mishra ji's hands stopped moving.
Slowly—
Very slowly—
He looked up.
For a second—
Their eyes met.
And Aarav saw it.
Fear.
But it vanished just as quickly.
"Tumhe kisne bataya?" Mishra ji asked.
Aarav didn't hesitate.
"Sach chhupane se change nahi hota."
Mishra ji leaned back in his chair.
His expression darkened.
"Tumhe waha nahi jana chahiye tha," he said quietly.
Aarav stepped closer.
"Tumne usse room me band kiya tha."
Silence.
Heavy.
The air felt tight.
"Bol na," Aarav said, anger rising in his voice.
"Sach kya hai?"
For a few seconds—
Mishra ji didn't move.
Didn't speak.
And then—
He laughed.
A dry.
Cold laugh.
"Sach?" he repeated.
His eyes slowly lifted to meet Aarav's.
"Tum sach janna chahte ho?"
Aarav didn't back down.
"Haan."
Mishra ji leaned forward.
His voice dropped.
"Wo meri galti nahi thi."
Aarav froze.
"What…?"
"Wo ladki…" Mishra ji muttered, "bahut zyada dekh rahi thi."
Aarav's fists clenched.
"Wo sab barbaad kar deti."
His voice grew sharper.
"Tumhe samajh nahi aata… kitna risk tha…" he continued.
"Saalo ki mehnat… sab khatam ho jata…"
Aarav's anger exploded.
"Toh tumne use marne ke liye chhod diya?!"
Silence.
Mishra ji didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
That silence—
Was the truth.
Aarav stepped back slowly.
His chest rising and falling rapidly.
"You killed her…" he whispered.
Mishra ji's expression changed.
Not fear.
Not regret.
Irritation.
"Mainne use nahi maara," he said coldly.
Aarav stared at him.
"Mainne bas use roka."
The words hit harder than any confession.
"Uske baad kya hua… wo uski problem thi."
Aarav couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"You left her to die…" he said.
Mishra ji stood up.
Slowly.
"And what would you have done?" he asked.
His voice grew darker.
"Apni life barbaad kar dete uske liye?"
Aarav didn't answer.
Because the answer was obvious.
"Haan."
For a second—
Mishra ji was silent.
Then he smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"Tum alag ho…" he said softly.
Aarav felt a chill.
"Aur aise log… zyada time tak nahi tikte."
Aarav's heartbeat spiked.
"What does that mean?"
Mishra ji stepped closer.
"Matlab simple hai…"
He leaned in slightly.
"Jo tum kar rahe ho… wo band karo."
A pause.
"Warna…"
Silence.
But the threat was clear.
Aarav didn't move.
He didn't look away.
"Main nahi rukunga."
For a second—
The air froze.
Mishra ji's eyes darkened.
"Tum samajh nahi rahe ho…" he whispered.
Aarav stepped back.
"Nahi… ab main sab samajh raha hoon."
He turned and walked away.
But as he reached the staircase—
He felt it.
A presence.
Watching him.
From above.
Aarav slowly looked up.
Second floor.
Room 218.
The corridor was dark.
But in that darkness—
A faint red glow flickered.
Aarav's breath stopped.
It was there again.
Watching.
Waiting.
And this time—
It felt stronger.
More aware.
As if it knew everything.
As if—
It heard everything.
Aarav's mind raced.
She knows…
She knows what happened…
And maybe—
She wants something more than just freedom.
That night…
The piano didn't start immediately.
Aarav sat in his room.
Waiting.
Minutes passed.
Then hours.
Silence.
And then—
A single note.
Loud.
Sharp.
Aarav froze.
The voice followed.
But this time—
It wasn't soft.
It wasn't broken.
It was angry.
"OPEN…"
Aarav's heart dropped.
The whisper echoed through the wall.
"OPEN THE DOOR…"
The same words.
The same desperation.
But now—
Something had changed.
It didn't sound like a request anymore.
It sounded like a command.
Aarav stood slowly.
His eyes fixed on the wall.
Because now—
He understood something terrifying.
She wasn't just trapped anymore…
She was becoming something else.
Something darker.
Something dangerous.
And maybe—
Something that wouldn't let anyone leave.