The notice board outside the hostel office was old and cracked.
Room Allotted: 217
Arjun stared at the number for a few seconds.
"Isn't that room closed?" he asked casually.
The clerk paused. Just for a second.
Then smiled.
"It was under maintenance."
That answer felt rehearsed.
The corridor on the second floor was unusually silent.
No laughter.
No music.
No footsteps.
Only the slow echo of Arjun's suitcase wheels dragging against the floor.
Room 213.
Room 215.
Room 217.
The door looked different.
The paint was newer than the others.
The lock looked recently changed.
But the air around it felt… heavy.
Arjun shook off the feeling.
"Stop overthinking," he muttered.
He pushed the door open.
The room smelled closed. Not dusty — just… trapped.
Two beds.
One table.
One cupboard.
One mirror.
Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
He placed his bag on the bed near the window.
That's when he noticed something strange.
The other bed had a pillow.
And the pillow had a small dent.
As if someone had just gotten up.
Arjun froze.
He slowly walked toward it.
Pressed his hand against the mattress.
Cold.
Very cold.
Not room-temperature cold.
Dead cold.
Suddenly—
The ceiling fan turned on.
Slowly.
Creeeeeeak.
Creeeeeeak.
Arjun jumped back.
"I didn't switch that on…"
The switchboard was on the other side of the room.
All switches were down.
The fan kept rotating.
Slow.
Unsteady.
Watching.
Then he heard it.
A whisper.
Very soft.
Right behind him.
"Don't sleep here."
Arjun spun around.
Nobody.
The door was still closed.
The windows were locked.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
"This is just stress… just imagination," he whispered to himself.
He grabbed his phone to call someone.
No network.
Zero signal.
And then…
From the mirror across the room—
He saw something.
For half a second.
Someone standing behind him.
Tall.
Thin.
Head slightly tilted.
Watching.
But when he turned—
Nothing.
The room was empty.
Completely empty.
Except…
On the wall, above the other bed—
Words slowly appeared.
As if written by invisible fingers.
"I am still here."
Arjun did not know one thing yet.
Room 217 was sealed five years ago.
After a student disappeared.
Without a body.
Without a trace.
Without leaving the room.
And tonight…
The room was no longer empty