The door creaked open.
Slowly.
From the inside.
My breath got stuck in my chest. Ammy's fingers instantly tightened around my arm. We both stepped back at the same time, eyes fixed on that half-open door.
No one used this storage room.
No one even came here.
Then who…?
The door stopped midway.
Silence.
Not normal silence.
The kind that makes your skin crawl.
"Did you see that?" Ammy whispered.
"I'm not blind…" I replied under my breath, but my voice wasn't steady.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
We both stood there, frozen, staring at the dark gap inside the room. The light from outside barely reached inside, leaving everything in shadows.
"Maybe… it's just the wind?" she said, but even she didn't sound convinced.
"There is no wind," I replied.
And just as I said that—
Something moved inside.
A shadow.
Quick.
Unclear.
But real.
Ammy's grip tightened even more.
"There's someone inside…" she whispered, her voice almost shaking now.
My heart started pounding again, but this time… it wasn't about getting caught.
It was something else.
Something unknown.
I stepped slightly forward.
"Wait," she said quickly, pulling me back. "Don't go."
But I couldn't just stand there.
If someone was inside… if someone saw us…
That was even worse.
"Stay here," I said.
"No!" she replied instantly.
But I had already taken a step forward.
Slow.
Careful.
Every sound felt louder.
Every movement felt risky.
I reached the door and pushed it slightly.
It opened more.
The darkness inside grew deeper.
"Hello?" I said, trying to sound firm.
No response.
Only silence.
But I knew someone was there.
I could feel it.
I stepped inside.
One step.
Then another.
Behind me, I could hear Ammy's breathing.
Fast.
Uneven.
The room smelled old. Dust, wood, something damp. Broken boxes were lying around. Some old furniture, covered with sheets.
But something felt off.
Very off.
And then—
I heard it.
A small sound.
From the right side.
Like someone shifting their weight.
I turned my head quickly.
Nothing.
Just darkness.
But I wasn't imagining it.
"Who's there?" I said louder this time.
Still no reply.
And then suddenly—
A figure moved.
Right in front of me.
Close.
Too close.
I reacted instantly, grabbing whatever I could find near me—a wooden stick—and pointed it forward.
"Stop!" I said loudly.
The figure froze.
For a second… everything stopped.
And then—
"Bhaiya… wait!"
A familiar voice.
I blinked.
Confused.
"Sam?" I said.
The figure stepped forward into the light.
It was him.
Ammy's younger brother.
Again.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I snapped, my heart still racing.
Ammy rushed inside.
"Sam! Are you mad?" she said in a whisper-shout. "You scared us!"
He looked at both of us, slightly embarrassed but also serious.
"I followed you," he said.
Silence.
"What?" I asked.
"I saw you both coming here… so I followed," he replied.
My mind went blank for a second.
This was getting out of control.
"Why?" Ammy asked, clearly frustrated.
"Because this is not safe," he said. "And also…" he paused, "…I wanted to make sure you're not doing something stupid."
That hit differently.
There was no childish tone in his voice.
He was serious.
Too serious.
"We're not kids," Ammy replied.
"Exactly," he said. "That's why this is dangerous."
There was tension now.
Real tension.
Between all three of us.
"You shouldn't be here," I said.
"And you should?" he shot back.
I didn't reply.
Because he wasn't wrong.
"I told you I won't tell Mumma," he continued. "But that doesn't mean I'll let you both do whatever you want."
Ammy looked at him, frustrated.
"Sam, please… just go."
He shook his head.
"No."
That one word changed everything.
"What do you mean 'no'?" she asked.
"I mean no," he replied. "Either I stay… or you both stop meeting like this."
Silence.
Heavy.
This wasn't just about hiding anymore.
This was about control.
About choices.
"What do you want?" I asked finally.
He looked at me.
Then at her.
And then said slowly—
"I want to know… how serious this is."
The question hung in the air.
Dangerous.
Real.
I looked at Ammy.
She looked back at me.
For a second… everything else disappeared.
Fear.
Risk.
Sam.
Everything.
And then—
She said—
"I'm serious."
No hesitation.
No fear.
Just truth.
Sam didn't react immediately.
He just watched her.
Carefully.
"And you?" he asked, looking at me.
My heart started racing again.
But this time…
Not from fear.
From something else.
Something deeper.
I took a breath.
And said—
"Yes."
Silence.
But not empty.
Powerful.
Sam looked down for a second.
Thinking.
Processing.
And then he said—
"If Mumma finds out… it's over."
"I know," we both said at the same time.
He nodded slowly.
"Then from now on…" he said, "…you don't meet like idiots."
I frowned.
"What?"
He looked at me directly.
"You meet smart."
Ammy blinked.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying…" he paused, "…if you're going to do this… then do it properly."
Shock.
Pure shock.
"You're… helping us?" I asked.
"I'm protecting you," he replied. "Because if you get caught, we all suffer."
There was silence again.
But different this time.
Strange.
Unexpected.
"And what's your plan?" Ammy asked slowly.
Sam smirked slightly.
"For now… leave this place."
"Why?" I asked.
He looked towards the door.
Then back at us.
And said quietly—
"Because Mumma is not alone today…"
A chill ran through my body.
"What do you mean?" Ammy asked.
He stepped closer.
Lowering his voice.
"There's someone else with her."
My heart dropped.
"Who?"
He looked straight into our eyes.
And said—
"Someone who knows you…"
Everything inside me froze.
"Who?" I asked again.
But before he could answer—
We heard footsteps.
Not one.
Not two.
Multiple.
Coming towards the storage area.
Closer.
Faster.
And this time—
There was no place to hide.
The footsteps kept getting closer.
Louder.
Clearer.
Each step felt like a countdown to the end.
My heartbeat was uncontrollable now. Ammy stood frozen beside me, and even Sam, who was acting strong till now, looked tense for the first time.
"They're coming here…" Ammy whispered.
"I know," Sam replied.
"Do something then!" she snapped quietly.
"I am thinking!" he said, his eyes scanning the room quickly.
The footsteps were almost outside now.
We could hear voices.
Muffled.
But real.
Not just her mother.
Someone else was with her.
And they were talking about something serious.
Something we couldn't hear clearly.
"Back side," Sam said suddenly. "There's a small exit."
"What exit?" I asked.
He pointed towards the far corner where broken shelves were stacked.
"Behind that."
There was no time to question.
We moved.
Fast.
But careful.
Trying not to make noise.
The footsteps stopped.
Right outside the door.
My breath froze.
"Yahin kahin hogi…" her mother's voice came.
My heart dropped instantly.
"She knows…" Ammy whispered, panic rising again.
"Shhh!" I said.
Sam quickly pushed one of the broken shelves aside.
A small, narrow opening appeared.
Barely visible.
"Go!" he said.
"You first," I told Ammy.
"No, you go—"
"Ammy!" I said firmly.
She didn't argue again.
She slipped through the opening.
Then I followed.
Sam came last.
We barely made it.
Just as—
The main door of the storage room opened fully.
From inside, we could hear everything now.
"Yahan koi tha…" her mother said.
Heavy silence.
Another voice responded.
A male voice.
Deep.
Unknown.
"Tumhe shak zyada hone laga hai," he said calmly.
"I'm not wrong," she replied sharply. "Mujhe pata hai wo yahin thi."
My heart was pounding so hard I thought they would hear it through the wall.
We stayed crouched in the narrow passage.
No space.
No air.
Just darkness.
And fear.
Real fear.
"Check karo," she said.
Footsteps inside the room.
Closer.
Closer to where we were hidden.
Ammy's hand found mine in the dark.
Cold.
Shaking.
I held it tightly.
Trying to tell her without words—
"I'm here."
The footsteps stopped.
Right on the other side of the wall.
We didn't breathe.
We didn't move.
Nothing.
"Yahan kuch nahi hai," the man said after a few seconds.
"Impossible," she replied.
"I saw her," she added.
Those words sent a chill through my body.
She saw something.
Maybe not clearly.
But enough to doubt.
And doubt was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
"Tum overthink kar rahi ho," the man said again. "Chalo, neeche chalte hain."
There was a pause.
A long one.
As if she was still looking around.
Still not convinced.
And then—
Footsteps.
Moving away.
Slowly.
Finally.
Silence returned.
But none of us moved.
Not yet.
We waited.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Three.
Only after Sam whispered—
"They're gone…"
We slowly came out.
One by one.
Back into the open.
Ammy looked shaken.
More than before.
"This is getting out of control…" she said.
"No," Sam replied. "This is just starting."
I looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
He hesitated.
Then said—
"That man…"
"Kaun tha?" Ammy asked immediately.
Sam looked at her.
Then at me.
And said something that made everything worse—
"Mumma ka rishtedaar nahi tha…"
Silence.
"Then who?" I asked.
His jaw tightened.
"I've seen him before," he said slowly.
"Where?" Ammy asked.
He took a deep breath.
And then said—
"Outside our house…"
A cold feeling ran through my body.
"He was watching," Sam added.
Watching.
That word echoed in my mind.
For how long?
Why?
And more importantly—
Who was he?
Before we could think further—
We heard something again.
Not footsteps.
Not voices.
Something else.
A phone vibration.
Close.
Very close.
We all froze.
"That's not mine…" I said.
"Mine's here…" Ammy said, showing her phone.
Sam checked his.
"Not mine."
The vibration came again.
From inside the storage room.
All three of us slowly turned towards the door.
It was slightly open.
Dark inside.
Silent.
But the vibration was real.
Someone's phone.
Still there.
Still active.
Meaning—
Someone had been there.
Recently.
Very recently.
Sam took a step forward.
"Don't," I said.
But he didn't stop.
He pushed the door slowly.
We followed.
Carefully.
Inside, the room looked the same.
Old.
Dusty.
But now—
There was something new.
On the floor.
Near the corner.
A phone.
Screen lighting up.
Incoming call.
No name.
Just a number.
Unknown.
The vibration stopped.
The screen went dark.
Silence again.
Ammy whispered—
"Whose phone is that…?"
No one answered.
Because deep down…
We all knew—
This wasn't normal.
This wasn't coincidence.
And whatever was happening…
Was much bigger than we thought.
Sam slowly bent down.
Picked up the phone.
And just as he did—
The screen lit up again.
This time—
A message appeared.
All three of us looked at it.
And in that exact moment…
Everything inside me froze.
Because the message said—
"I know you're hiding."