"The footsteps…" Meera whispered again.
Her eyes fixed somewhere behind me.
I turned quickly.
Nothing.
Just students walking.
Normal noise.
Normal hallway.
"There's nothing there," I said.
She shook her head.
"No… they're getting closer."
Her breathing became uneven.
Like she was hearing something real.
"Meera, calm down," I said softly.
But she suddenly covered her ears.
"Stop… stop…" she murmured.
People around us started staring.
"Let's go outside," I said.
I gently held her wrist.
We walked quickly toward the courtyard.
The moment we stepped outside—
She froze.
"They stopped," she said slowly.
I looked at her carefully.
"You're sure?"
She nodded.
Silence settled between us.
"This is not normal," she whispered.
I knew she was right.
"When do you usually hear them?" I asked.
"At night… and sometimes when I'm alone," she replied.
"Same corridor dream?" I asked.
"Yes."
I thought for a moment.
"Tonight," I said.
She looked confused.
"We'll stay connected," I continued.
"If we both dream… we compare everything."
She hesitated.
"What if it gets worse?" she asked.
I remembered my own past.
Fear.
Confusion.
Guilt.
"Then we face it together," I said.
She slowly nodded.
That night—
I kept my phone beside me.
Waiting.
Sleep came slowly.
Darkness.
Then—
The corridor appeared again.
But this time—
I wasn't alone.
Meera stood beside me.
Her eyes widened.
"You see this too?" she asked.
"Yes," I whispered.
The lights flickered.
Cold air filled the space.
Footsteps echoed.
Closer.
Louder.
Meera grabbed my hand.
"They're coming…" she said.
We looked ahead.
At the end of the corridor—
A shadow moved.
Not clear.
Not human.
Just… shape.
My heart started pounding.
"This is new," I whispered.
The shadow took one step forward.
The lights went off.
Complete darkness.
Meera squeezed my hand tightly.
Then—
A voice whispered.
"Not again…"
I woke up suddenly.
My phone buzzed at the same moment.
Message from Meera:
"I saw it too."
My heart raced.
This wasn't just dreams anymore.
It was shared.
And whatever that shadow was—
It knew both of us.