**Chapter 3: Echoes in the Hallways**
Viraj's legs burned as he sprinted the last stretch to school, lungs on fire, mind screaming that the tall white thing was still behind him. He didn't dare look back again. *Just hallucinations. Just hallucinations.* The words looped in his head like a broken record.
He skidded to a stop at the main gate, gasping. The old watchman—Mr. Sharma, everyone called him Uncle—stood there with his usual stern frown, arms crossed.
"Two hours late, beta? What happened this time?"
Viraj bent over, hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "Hah… my… old problem, Uncle."
The watchman's expression softened immediately. He knew the story. Everyone in the school did, at least the staff. "Hallucinations again?"
Viraj nodded weakly.
Uncle Sharma sighed and waved him through. "Go on. But try to talk to the counselor again, okay? Don't ignore it."
Viraj mumbled a thanks and hurried inside, heart still racing. He climbed the stairs to the third floor, sweat sticking his uniform to his back. Outside Class 10B, he paused, took a deep breath, and knocked lightly on the open door.
"Can I come in?"
The class teacher—Mrs. Kapoor, their homeroom in-charge—looked up from the attendance register. The whole room went quiet.
"You're two hours late, Viraj. Explain."
He swallowed. "I… got hallucinations again, ma'am. On the way here."
Mrs. Kapoor studied him for a long second. She knew his file. Most teachers did. "Alright. Come in, sit down. But we're talking about this after class."
Viraj nodded and walked to his bench at the back, near the window. As he sat, he stared at his desk, mind spinning. *Last year the hallucinations stopped completely. Why now? Why today?* He made a mental note to pick up his old prescription from the pharmacy on the way home. Maybe the doctor was right—stress, lack of sleep, something triggering it again.
Pratik leaned over from the next bench, whispering. "You okay, man? I got scared when I heard about the hallucinations thing."
Viraj managed a small smile. "Thanks for worrying, bro."
Pratik lowered his voice even more. "Remember when you were thirteen or fourteen? We were playing near that old bridge, and you started seeing stuff again. You got so scared you almost jumped. Said you wanted it to stop."
Viraj's jaw tightened. "The bridge wasn't even that high. Worst case, broken legs. Not death."
"Still freaked me out," Pratik muttered. "Don't do anything stupid again, okay?"
Viraj was about to reply when something shifted at the edge of his vision.
The classroom door was open. A long, unnaturally thin figure stepped inside—bone-white skin, stretched limbs, those bottomless black eyes. It moved silently to stand directly behind Mrs. Kapoor at the blackboard. The creature tilted its head, mimicking a playful smile, then slowly raised one clawed hand toward the back of her neck, pretending to slice.
Viraj's pulse spiked. His fingers gripped the edge of the desk so hard his knuckles turned white.
*Don't look. Don't react. It's not real.*
He forced his eyes down to his notebook, pretending to take notes. But his heart hammered so loud he was sure the whole class could hear it. The creature stayed there the entire period, sometimes leaning closer to the teacher, sometimes staring straight at Viraj, daring him to acknowledge it.
Just before the lunch bell, something changed.
Both Viraj and the creature snapped their heads toward the window at the exact same moment.
Outside, near the school gate, two boys stood arguing with Uncle Sharma. They wore the same uniform, but something about them felt… off. Too calm. Too watchful.
Uncle Sharma raised his voice. "You're way too late! Names, roll numbers, class—now. Or go home."
The taller boy smirked. "We just want to come in, Uncle."
"Get lost," Sharma snapped. "I'm writing you absent."
The two boys exchanged a glance, then turned and jogged around the side of the building, out of sight.
Viraj frowned. The creature beside the teacher had gone perfectly still, its black eyes fixed on the same spot.
The lunch bell rang.
Students flooded the corridors and the canteen area. Viraj stood up quickly, scanning the crowd. He couldn't explain it, but he *felt* something—like a strange pressure, a hum of energy coming from those two boys. He needed to find them.
He pushed through the hallway, dodging groups of laughing kids. Pratik appeared from behind, grabbing his shoulder.
"Where did you disappear to after the lecture ended? You just ran off—"
Viraj didn't answer. His eyes were on the stairs leading to the third floor.
Then a scream erupted—from the girls' washroom on the third floor.
High, terrified, echoing down the corridor.
At the same moment, Viraj saw the white creature detach from the classroom doorway. It moved with eerie smoothness toward the stairs, long limbs carrying it faster than should be possible.
Pratik frowned. "What was that scream?"
Viraj didn't reply. He was already moving—toward the sound, toward the creature, toward whatever nightmare was waiting on the third floor.
To be continued…