The air was thick with tension. Every corner of the hotel felt like it was closing in on them. The clock had struck 2:00 AM, but no one slept. Everyone stayed awake, holding their breath as the night seemed to stretch on forever.
In Room 301, Prajwal, Swara, Akshada, and Rutuja huddled together, pressing their backs against the wall. The silence around them was suffocating.
"Do you think someone else heard that scream?" Rutuja whispered, her voice shaking.
"I don't know," Prajwal answered. "But it didn't come from any of our rooms."
The silence that followed was even more unsettling. They could hear nothing but the pounding of their own hearts.
Suddenly, the door handle clicked again.
All four girls froze.
Prajwal stood up, slowly moving toward the door. Her instincts were screaming at her to open it, to find out what had happened—but something told her it wasn't safe.
"Prajwal, don't!" Swara cried, grabbing her arm.
"I have to know," Prajwal whispered.
The door creaked open, just a crack, enough to peek outside.
At first, the hallway seemed empty. But as she looked closer, she noticed something—a dark shadow in the far corner of the corridor, just beyond the light's reach. It was standing perfectly still, like it was waiting.
Without thinking, Prajwal pushed the door open wide and stepped out into the hallway.
"Prajwal, wait!" Akshada's voice followed her, but Prajwal was already moving down the hall, toward Room 309.
The others followed, though they hesitated.
When they reached Room 309, the door was wide open.
"Why is it open?" Rutuja gasped.
"I don't know…" Prajwal's voice trailed off. The door itself seemed to beckon them, as though it was calling them to enter.
Swara swallowed hard. "Are we really doing this?"
"I don't know what else to do," Prajwal said quietly. "We need to know what happened."
They stepped inside.
The room was cold, the air thick with the smell of dust and something else—something metallic, like blood.
Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind them, and the lights flickered before going out.
"What the hell?" Akshada whispered, clutching her phone in the dark.
Then they heard it—the sound of footsteps, slow and deliberate, coming from the corner of the room. It was as if someone—or something—was walking toward them.
"Who's there?" Prajwal called out, her voice echoing in the dead silence.
No answer.
Then, something caught her eye. In the farthest corner of the room was a figure—small, huddled against the wall, barely visible in the darkness.
"Is that…?" Swara started, but she couldn't finish her sentence.
Prajwal moved toward the figure, her heart racing.
As she got closer, she saw it clearly.
It was Swarali.
Sitting on the floor, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Her eyes were wide open, but they were completely unseeing, staring into the empty space in front of her.
"Swarali?" Prajwal said softly.
There was no response.
Prajwal's fingers gently touched Swarali's shoulder, and immediately, Swarali jerked, her body shuddering violently.
Her voice came in a low, raspy whisper. "She told me to stay. She told me to stay in here."
"What are you talking about?" Akshada asked, rushing over.
Swarali's eyes locked onto her, but there was nothing in them. She wasn't there. Not truly.
"I'm not supposed to leave," Swarali mumbled, her voice trailing off as if she were in a trance. "She needs me to stay."
"What does she need?" Prajwal pressed. "Who is she?"
Before Swarali could answer, the air around them grew thick with tension. The temperature dropped, and they all felt a chill creep down their spines.
Suddenly, the voice came again. Soft, almost a whisper, but it filled the room.
"Come home. It's time to join me."
And then—everything went dark.
---
Room 302 – Moments Later
The rest of the girls were still huddled in the room, trying to calm their nerves. Khushi, Apurva, and Rutuja looked around, waiting for the others to return.
"What's taking them so long?" Apurva asked, her voice tight with fear.
"I don't know," Khushi whispered. "But I don't feel right."
Just then, they heard footsteps. Soft, echoing, coming from the hallway.
"Prajwal?" Apurva called out, but there was no answer.
The door creaked open.
It was Swarali—but she didn't look the same. Her face was pale, her eyes blank, and she stood completely still in the doorway.
"W-What happened?" Khushi whispered, backing away slightly.
Swarali didn't answer. Instead, she just stared at them with those empty eyes, then whispered, "She's waiting. Come home."
And as soon as the words left her lips, the lights flickered once more and went out.
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