Chapter 1: 11:59 PM
The night was too quiet.
Arjun stared at his phone screen. 11:59 PM. The fan above his head made a slow ticking sound. Outside, the streetlight flickered like it was struggling to stay awake.
He wasn't expecting any message.
Especially not from her.
At exactly 12:00 AM, his phone vibrated.
Unknown Number:
"Don't trust anyone. Not even yourself."
Arjun frowned.
"What kind of joke is this?"
He typed back:
Who is this?
The reply came instantly.
"You already know me."
His heartbeat quickened.
Chapter 2: The Name He Deleted
Three months ago, Arjun had deleted one contact from his phone.
Maya.
His best friend.
The girl who knew all his secrets.
The girl who disappeared without saying goodbye.
One day she was there — laughing, arguing, sharing coffee.
The next day — gone. No calls. No messages. Her social media deleted. Her house locked.
People said her family moved away.
But Arjun never believed that.
He tried calling the unknown number again.
Switched off.
Then another message appeared.
"Check your email. The truth is there."
His hands trembled.
Chapter 3: The Email
He opened his laptop.
One unread email.
Sender: M
Subject: Midnight was never safe.
The email contained only one attachment — a photo.
It was taken from behind him.
He was sitting in his college library.
The photo was timestamped — Today. 4:17 PM.
Arjun's chest tightened.
Someone had been watching him.
Another message popped up on his phone:
"You should not have gone to the library today."
He whispered,
"Maya… is that you?"
Chapter 4: The Secret Room
The next message gave him an address.
An old café they used to visit.
It was 12:45 AM.
He knew he shouldn't go.
But curiosity is stronger than fear.
The café was closed. Lights off. Chairs stacked.
But the back door was slightly open.
Inside, on their usual table, was a small envelope.
Arjun opened it.
Inside was a pen drive.
And a note.
"If you're reading this, I failed."
His breathing stopped.
Chapter 5: The Truth
Back home, Arjun inserted the pen drive.
A video started playing.
Maya appeared on screen.
Her eyes looked tired. Afraid.
"Arjun… if this reaches you, it means they couldn't stop me in time."
"They found out what I discovered. The scholarship scam. The fake admissions. The money laundering in our college."
Arjun froze.
"Our principal is involved. And someone close to you is helping them."
She paused.
"If anything happens to me… don't trust—"
The video cut off.
Another message arrived at 1:07 AM.
"Delete everything. Or you'll join her."
Chapter 6: The Betrayal
The next morning, Arjun looked at everyone differently.
His friends. His teachers.
Then he remembered something.
Only one person knew Maya was investigating.
Rohan.
His closest friend.
That evening, Arjun confronted him.
"Did you know about the scam?"
Rohan's face turned pale.
"You don't understand. They threatened my family."
"You helped them?" Arjun whispered.
Tears rolled down Rohan's face.
"I thought they'd just scare her. I didn't know they'd make her disappear."
Chapter 7: The Last Message
That night, Arjun uploaded the video everywhere.
Social media. Anonymous forums. Email to journalists.
Within hours, the story exploded.
Police investigation started.
The principal was arrested.
Rohan surrendered.
But Maya was still missing.
At 11:59 PM, Arjun sat quietly again.
Midnight struck.
His phone vibrated.
Unknown Number:
"You did well."
Arjun's heart stopped.
Another message:
"Some truths survive in the dark."
He typed with shaking fingers:
Maya… are you alive?
No reply.
The number was permanently unreachable.
Epilogue
Some say Maya escaped.
Some say she never did.
But every year, on the same date, at exactly midnight, Arjun receives one message:
"Keep going."
And he does.
Because some messages aren't meant to scare you.
They're meant to wake you up.