The bell rang at exactly at 12:01.
It was not loud.
It was not the normal school bell that echoed through the corridors every day.
This one was softer.
Older.
A deep metallic sound that seemed to come from everywhere at once.
Mukesh froze in the middle of the hallway.
Beside him, Somya clutched his his arm so tightly that her nails pressed into his skin.
" You heard that too?" She whispered.
Before he could answer, every light in the corridor flickered once....twice...and then turned around.
Not bright red.
Dimag red.
Like the school was breathing in darkness.
Rahul stepped back. " No . No, this is wrong. This is very wrong."
At the far end of the corridor, the locked room door stood open.
No one had touched it.
No one had gone near it.
But now it was wide open, and beyond it was only blackness.
Not a room.
Not walls.
Just black.
As if the doorway had opened into the middle of the night.
A cold wind rushed out, carrying the same whisper Mukesh had heard before.
Come back.
His heart pounded so hard he could hear it.
" We should leave, " Mukesh said immediately . " Right now."
But Somya was staring at the darkness inside the doorway. " Do you see that?"
At first Mukesh saw nothing.
Then, slowly, a shape formed inside the blackness.
Everything rushed back into his mind.
" You're the one from the register," Mukesh said quietly.
The figure nodded once.
Rahul shook his head." No.no. we are not doing this. We are not talking to.... whatever this is."
But the figure ignored him.
It's empty gaze stayed fixed on Mukesh.
" You found the room," it said." Now find the Truth."
The bell rang again.
This time louder.
The sound shook the walls.
The red lights blinked rapidly, and the open doorway seemed to strech wider, the darkness inside the twisting like moving smoke.
Meera stepped back. " Mukesh!"
But he could not move.
Inside the blackness, more shapes began to appear.
Hands.
Dozens of them.
Pale hands pressing against the inside edges of the doorway, as if something else was trying to come through.
Rahul shouted," shut the door! Shut it now!"
Mukesh lunged forward with somya , and together they grabbed the heavy wooden door.
It felt freezing cold.
The moment his hand touched it, a flood of images slammed into his mind.
For the first time, something changed in its expression.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Relief.
" Yes," it whispered.
Rahul and Somya exchanged a shocked look.
Mukesh's voice shook. " Someone pushed you."
The corridor lights burst white for one second.
In that flash, Mukesh saw another figure standing deep behind the first one inside the darkness.
This one smiled.
It stood just beyond the doorway where the red light could barely touch it.
Mukesh took one step forward before he could stop himself.
The figure lifted its hand.
And pointed directly at him.
The corridor went silent.
Even the wind stopped.
Then a voice came from inside the darkness, dry and cracked like old paper.
" You opened it."
Mukesh's throat tightened. " I didn't mean to."
The figure moved closer.
Not walking.
Sliding.
It's face was still hidden , but Mukesh could now see that it wore the old school uniform from the photograph in the dusty register room.
The same uniform from decades ago.
Rahul whispered, " that's impossible...."
The figure stopped at the doorway.
" I waited," it said." For someone to hear me."
Geeta's voice trembled. " Who are you?"
For a moment, nothing happened .
Then the figure slowly raised its head.
It's face was pale, almost grey, with deep shadows where the eyes should have been.
But when it spoke, the voice was not angry.
It was sad.
" They forgot my name."
Mukesh felt a chill run through him.
The name.
Chapter 7.
The missing student.
The hidden record.
The broken hand of the clock.
Everything rushed back into his mind.
" You're the one from the register," Mukesh
Said quietly.
The figure nodded once .
Rahul shook his head." No.no, we are not doing this. We are not talking to... whatever this is "
But the figure ignored him.
It's empty gaze stayed fixed on Mukesh.
" You found the room," it said." Now find the truth."
The bell rang again.
This time louder.
The sound shook the walls.
The red lights blinked rapidly, and the open doorway seemed to strech wider, the darkness inside twisting like moving smoke.
Somya stepped back." Mukesh".
But he could not move.
Inside the blackness, more shapes began to appear.
Hands.
Dozens of them.
Pale hands pressing against the inside edges of the doorway, as if something else was trying to come through.
Rahul shouted, " shut the door! Shut it now!"
Mukesh lunged forward with somya, and together they grabbed the heavy wooden door.
It felt freezing cold.
The moment his hand touched it, a flood of images slammed into his mind.