The screen didn't turn off.
Even after he slammed the laptop shut.
Even after he pulled the plug.
It was still glowing.
A faint red light seeped through the edges like something inside was… breathing.
Ayaan froze.
That wasn't possible.
Slowly—too slowly—he opened the laptop again
The game was still running.
Level 1: COMPLETED
Below it, a new message blinked:
"You survived because you followed the obvious rule."
Ayaan's throat went dry.
"Obvious… rule?"
He hadn't seen any rules.
The screen glitched.
Then—
A video started playing.
It showed his room.
Live.
Same angle. Same darkness. Same everything.
Except—
In the video, he wasn't alone.
Ayaan's chest tightened.
Behind him… something stood in the corner.
Tall.
Still.
Watching.
He turned instantly—
Nothing.
Empty.
Silence.
When he looked back at the screen—
It was closer.
Now right behind his chair.
Ayaan shoved himself away, heart pounding like it would explode.
The message changed again:
"Rule #1: Don't look away."
His breath hitched.
"I… I didn't—"
He stopped.
He did look away.
Just now.
The screen flickered violently.
The figure disappeared from the video.
For a moment, everything went still.
Then—
A knock.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
From inside the room.
Not the door.
Not the window.
Inside.
Ayaan slowly turned his head toward the wardrobe.
The sound came again.
Tap.
Something was inside.
The screen updated:
"You broke the rule."
"Penalty initiated."
The wardrobe door creaked open—
Just a little.
Darkness spilled out like liquid.
And from within—
A hand.
Pale.
Too long.
Fingers bending the wrong way.
Ayaan stumbled back, grabbing the nearest thing—a metal lamp.
"Stay back!" he shouted, voice shaking.
The screen flashed one final message:
"New Rule Unlocked."
"Rule #2: If you hear it—don't respond."
The tapping stopped.
Silence.
Then—
A whisper.
Right next to his ear.
"Ayaan…"
He froze.
Every instinct screamed to turn.
To look.
To react.
But his eyes slowly moved to the screen.
Rule #2.
If you hear it—
Don't respond.
His lips trembled.
The whisper came again, softer this time.
Closer
"Why are you ignoring me…?"
Ayaan clenched his fists so hard his nails cut into his skin.
No reaction.
No movement.
Nothing.
The air grew colder.
The presence lingered.
Waiting.
Testing.
Then suddenly—
Gone.
The wardrobe slammed shut.
The laptop screen turned black.
And for the first time—
It shut down.
Ayaan collapsed to the floor, shaking.
Silence filled the room again.
Normal.
Too normal.
Then—
His phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
A message.
"You're learning."
"But Level 2 won't be this kind."
Ayaan stared at it, breathing uneven.
This wasn't a game.
This was something else.
Something that knew him.
Something that was watching.
And worse—
Something that was teaching him how to survive.