The message from Meera stayed on my screen.
"It's getting stronger."
I stared at it for a long time.
Because I felt the same.
The shadow wasn't just appearing.
It was chasing us.
"What was behind that door?" she texted.
"I don't know… just bright light," I replied.
"Maybe it's an exit," she sent.
Or maybe—
Something else.
The whole day felt strange.
Like someone was watching.
That evening, Meera and I sat in the library.
Trying to draw the corridor.
"Long hallway," she said.
"Flickering lights," I added.
"Doors on both sides."
"Yes… but we never opened those," I said.
We both looked at each other.
"What if one of them matters?" she asked.
That night—
We slept again.
The corridor returned.
But this time—
We were standing near the door we opened.
The bright light was gone.
Now it looked like a normal room.
We stepped inside.
It looked like an old hospital ward.
Empty beds.
Broken windows.
Dust everywhere.
"This place…" Meera whispered.
"It's real," I said.
Suddenly—
I noticed something on the wall.
A faded board.
I walked closer.
My heart started beating faster.
"City Care Hospital," I read slowly.
Meera froze.
"That hospital closed years ago," she said.
Cold chills ran down my spine.
"How do you know?" I asked.
"My cousin told me… there was an accident here," she replied.
Before I could ask more—
Footsteps echoed again.
Louder.
Angrier.
The shadow appeared at the door.
It didn't come closer.
It just stood there.
Watching us.
Then—
It pointed toward one of the beds.
We looked at each other.
"What does it want?" Meera whispered.
We walked slowly toward the bed.
There was something on it.
A file.
Old.
Dusty.
I picked it up.
The moment I touched it—
The shadow disappeared.
The lights flickered once—
Then everything went dark.
I woke up immediately.
My heart racing.
Phone buzzed.
Message from Meera:
"Did you see the file?"
"Yes."
"What was written?"
I froze.
Because I remembered only one word clearly.
I typed slowly.
"Patient: Meera Sharma"
No reply for a few seconds.
Then—
"I was never in a hospital…"
My blood ran cold.
Because the dream just proved—
She was.