The night felt different.
Heavier.
As if the air itself had thickened, pressing against the walls, against his chest, against his thoughts.
Aarav stood in his room, staring at the wall that separated him from Room 218.
The words from earlier still echoed in his mind.
"OPEN THE DOOR…"
But it wasn't a plea anymore.
It was a command.
He tried to ignore it.
Tried to sit down. Tried to distract himself.
But the silence only made it worse.
Because now, even without the piano—
He could feel it.
Something was there.
Waiting.
Listening.
Aarav stood up slowly.
"I have to end this," he whispered.
The corridor outside was darker than usual.
The lights flickered weakly, barely illuminating the path.
Each step he took echoed unnaturally loud.
Room 218 stood at the end.
Still.
Closed.
But not empty.
He stopped right in front of the door.
His hand trembled slightly as he raised it.
For a moment—
He hesitated.
Then—
He knocked.
The sound echoed sharply.
Once.
Twice.
Silence.
Aarav swallowed.
"Main jaanta hoon tum wahan ho," he said, his voice low but steady.
"I know what happened to you."
Nothing.
Then—
A faint sound.
From inside.
A slow movement.
And suddenly—
The handle turned.
Aarav's eyes widened.
He hadn't touched it.
The door opened on its own.
A wave of cold air rushed out, wrapping around him like something alive.
The darkness inside felt deeper than before.
Not just absence of light—
But presence of something else.
Aarav stepped inside.
The door shut behind him instantly.
The sound was sharp.
Final.
He turned and grabbed the handle.
It didn't move.
Locked.
His breathing quickened.
"Not again…"
The room was silent.
Too silent.
He turned on his phone flashlight.
The beam shook slightly in his trembling hand.
The same room.
The same broken furniture.
The same piano.
But something had changed.
The scratches on the wall—
There were more now.
Deeper.
More aggressive.
He stepped closer.
New words had appeared.
"I WAITED"
"I CALLED"
"NO ONE CAME"
Aarav's throat tightened.
"You're not alone now," he said quietly.
"I'm here."
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
Then—
The piano key pressed.
Once.
Aarav turned.
The piano began to play.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
The melody was no longer broken.
It was controlled.
And then—
The voice came.
"Too late…"
Aarav froze.
The red glow appeared again.
Closer than before.
It wasn't in the corner anymore.
It was near the piano.
A shape began to form.
A figure.
Aarav's body went still.
He couldn't move.
The figure slowly became clearer.
A girl.
Thin.
Pale.
Her hair falling over her face.
And then—
One eye became visible.
Red.
Bright.
Unnatural.
It looked directly at him.
"You came back," the voice said.
Aarav forced himself to speak.
"I came to help you."
Silence.
The head tilted slightly.
"Help?"
The word echoed strangely.
"You were trapped here," Aarav said, trying to stay calm. "I know what he did. I know everything."
The red eye didn't blink.
"He left you here to die," Aarav continued.
"I won't let that happen again."
For a moment—
The room felt still.
Then—
The temperature dropped sharply.
The air turned cold enough to sting.
"You're late," the voice whispered.
Aarav's breath became visible in the air.
"I didn't know before," he said quickly. "But now I do. I can help you get out."
Silence.
Then—
A soft sound.
Not from the piano.
From the door.
Aarav turned.
The handle moved.
Slowly.
From the outside.
His heart dropped.
Someone was there.
"Mujhe pata tha tum wapas aaoge," a voice came from the other side.
Mishra ji.
Aarav stepped back.
"No…"
The door didn't open.
Instead—
A metallic sound came.
A lock sliding into place.
From the outside.
Aarav rushed to the door.
"Open this! OPEN THIS!"
No response.
Only silence.
Then—
A faint laugh.
And footsteps moving away.
Aarav's hands hit the door again.
Hard.
"OPEN THE DOOR!"
Nothing.
He turned slowly.
The room was colder now.
Darker.
The red glow had moved closer.
Very close.
"She locked you in," Aarav whispered to himself.
The voice corrected him.
"No…"
A pause.
"You came."
Aarav's heart stopped.
He looked at her.
The red eye stared back.
Unmoving.
"Why…?" he whispered.
The head tilted again.
"You heard me."
A pause.
"So you came."
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
"I wanted to help you," Aarav said, his voice shaking.
The figure moved slightly.
Closer.
"I asked for help," the voice said slowly.
Aarav nodded.
"Yes."
Silence.
Then—
The voice changed.
Colder.
"Now you will stay."
Aarav's eyes widened.
"No…"
The red eye moved closer.
"You won't leave me."
Aarav stepped back, hitting the wall.
"This isn't what you want," he said quickly. "You don't want this. You just want to be free."
The figure stopped.
For a brief moment—
The red glow flickered.
And in that flicker—
Something else appeared.
Pain.
But it vanished instantly.
"Too late," the voice said again.
The piano suddenly slammed.
A loud, violent sound.
Aarav flinched.
The room felt like it was closing in.
"You came inside," the voice continued.
Another step closer.
"So now…"
The red eye locked onto him.
"You stay inside."
Aarav's breathing became rapid.
His chest tightened.
He looked at the door.
Locked.
At the window.
Sealed.
At the room.
Endless.
And then—
He realized something terrifying.
This wasn't just a room anymore.
It was a trap.
And he had walked into it himself.