I stared at Meera's message.
"I saw it too."
My hands felt cold.
This wasn't coincidence anymore.
I typed quickly.
"Did you hear the voice?"
Her reply came instantly.
"Yes. It said… 'Not again.'"
My heart skipped.
Same words.
Same moment.
"What does it mean?" she sent.
"I don't know… but it knows us," I replied.
The rest of the night, I couldn't sleep.
Every small sound made me alert.
The next morning—
Meera looked tired.
Dark circles under her eyes.
"You didn't sleep?" I asked.
She shook her head.
"I kept hearing footsteps again," she whispered.
Even in daylight.
That made it worse.
"We need to understand this place," I said.
"The corridor?"
She nodded.
"Did it look familiar to you?" I asked.
She hesitated.
"Maybe… like an old hospital," she replied slowly.
Hospital.
The word hit me.
White walls.
Dim lights.
Echoing footsteps.
"It did feel like that," I said.
Suddenly—
A loud thud sound came from nearby.
Meera flinched.
"Did you hear that?" she asked.
"Yes," I replied.
But this time—
Something felt different.
It didn't sound outside.
It sounded… closer.
Meera looked down.
Her hands trembling.
"They're back," she whispered.
My heart started racing.
"No… we're awake," I said.
But then—
I heard it too.
Soft.
Slow.
Footsteps.
Coming from behind us.
We turned together.
No one there.
The sound stopped.
Meera grabbed my arm.
"This isn't just dreams anymore," she said.
She was right.
Something had crossed over.
That night—
I was afraid to sleep again.
But I knew we had to.
Darkness.
The corridor returned.
But this time—
The lights were almost off.
Only one flickering bulb.
Meera stood beside me again.
"It's darker," she whispered.
The footsteps started immediately.
Closer.
Louder.
The shadow appeared again.
But now—
It looked taller.
Clearer.
It moved toward us.
My breath stopped.
"What does it want?" Meera whispered.
Suddenly—
The shadow raised its arm.
Pointing at us.
Then the voice came again.
"You didn't leave…"
My heart pounded.
The shadow moved faster.
"Run!" I shouted.
We started running down the corridor.
The lights flickered wildly.
Footsteps chasing us.
Closer.
Closer.
Then—
A door appeared ahead.
"Open it!" Meera shouted.
I grabbed the handle.
Pulled hard.
The door opened—
Bright light inside.
We stepped in—
And everything disappeared.
I woke up gasping.
Another message from Meera.
"I think it's getting stronger."
I typed back slowly.
"Yes… and it's following us."