Aarav stayed facing forward. Stillness held his body tight.
He couldn't.
That sound -
Those three knocks -
Out of nowhere, they appeared right at his back.
Not the wall.
Not the door.
Yet deep within that space. Somewhere past the walls.
Faint came his breathing, then fainter still.
This can't be happening… this can't be happening…
His eyelids pressed tight, hoping to push back the dread. Yet the quiet after only deepened the weight.
Waiting changed everything. Now it sat heavy, filling the silence where motion used to be.
Still here, watching for when it comes back around.
Seconds stretched.
A silence hung where no one moved. Quiet filled every corner without a sound.
Too still.
Head turning took forever. Each inch felt like a battle. Pain crept through Aarav's neck. Movement was jagged, unsteady. His gaze shifted at last.
Nothing.
Just like before, his room stayed unchanged.
Lying there, a bed. A table stands nearby. The chair waits silent. Shut tight, the door stays closed.
No one there.
No movement.
No shadow.
Aarav exhaled, uneven and slow, tension slipping from his frame bit by bit. His shoulders sank, just a fraction.
"I'm losing it…" he muttered.
A shaky breath escaped him as he dragged fingers across his scalp, offering a faint chuckle that barely filled the silence.
"Yeah… that's it. Just stress."
Yet while speaking, his gaze wandered off to the wall. His words continued, though his attention never stayed put. The moment stretched, thin and quiet, as if sound had paused just long enough for that glance to matter more than speech.
Footsteps moved close to where the sound first broke through.
Frozen wide awake when darkness fell. Still staring at shadows long past midnight.
Hush fell heavy, yet each tiny noise sent his pulse racing.
The ticking of the clock.
Faint noise from wires alive with power.
Breathing seemed louder than it should have been.
And yet -
Nothing else happened.
No knocking.
No voice.
Just silence.
Fresh light broke across the sky, easing the night away.
Filling the space, sunlight pushed through the window, chasing dark corners toward the walls, until shapes settled back into place.
There he was, Aarav, motionless before the glass, eyes locked on what stared back. The room held its breath as if time slowed just for him.
Fine, you are," his mind whispered back.
A face appeared in the glass, watching. It didn't blink when he did.
Tired.
But normal.
"Just a nightmare."
Off he went, bag in hand, stepping out into the afternoon light. Behind him trailed thoughts he'd rather lose.
For some time -
He almost succeeded.
Yet darkness returns every time.
12:02 AM.
Midnight crept closer as Aarav stayed still on his bed, eyes locked to the ticking clock.
Still wide awake, he made no move toward bed. Quiet filled the room instead of rest.
The clock moved slow under his stare. A second passed. Then another.
59… 60…
12:03 AM.
Silence.
Aarav waited, silent. The air stayed still in his chest.
Nothing.
One whole minute felt like it slipped away. Ten slow counts went by, just hanging there.
Then twenty.
A minute.
Still nothing.
A quiet warmth began to spread behind his ribs.
He leaned close, voice low. Nothing there at all. Looked again just to be sure
He almost smiled.
Then -
KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK
Aarav flinched violently.
A hush followed after the noise filled the space.
Louder than before.
Clearer.
Closer.
Out of that very wall it appeared.
But this time -
It didn't stop.
KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK…
A pause.
Then again -
KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK…
Breath coming fast, Aarav fixed his gaze on the wall.
"No…" he whispered. "No, no, no…"
Wrong was how the rhythm felt.
Different.
His fingers touched the front of his shirt. A heartbeat thumped beneath them.
Blood pounded fast inside his chest.
It caught his eye after a moment. He saw it then.
The pattern.
The knocking…
Felt every pulse line up just right.
Perfectly.
Every beat -
Every knock -
Synchronized.
Aarav's stomach dropped.
"That's… that's not possible…"
Back he moved, a slow shake of his head following.
Yet each beat grew quicker -
Knock after knock picked up speed.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
"Stop!" Aarav shouted.
A sudden silence replaced the tapping - just like that, it was gone.
A heavy quiet fell across the space. It pressed down without warning.
Aarav froze.
It listened.
It actually listened.
His hands trembled.
Fleeing shot through his thoughts like wildfire. Every instinct pushed him toward escape, yet he stood frozen. Out was the only clear idea cutting through the noise inside. Move. That's what the voice in his head kept repeating. Distance called stronger than reason
Yet he stood frozen, unable to take a step forward.
Instead…
It wasn't just a mistake - he made it darker.
Something stupid.
Regret followed close behind his choice.
Slowly…
A small movement lifted his arm into the air.
He breathed the word like a secret. Not now…
Yet his muscles refused to obey.
Fingers brushed stone, then stopped. A pause came before pressure followed. Contact happened without sound. The moment held still.
And -
He knocked.
Once.
Soft.
A faint knock, just once. Then silence settled like dust.
A flash of time passed. Then stillness returned
Nothing happened.
Then -
KNOCK.
Bounced right back without delay.
Same spot.
Same force.
No delay.
No hesitation.
Aarav stumbled backward.
A sharp thud shook his chest.
"It's… it's copying me…"
Gasping now, his breath came in short bursts.
His mind spun.
Then -
A voice.
Closer this time.
Clearer.
Beyond the barrier. Just past the edge.
"Don't stop now…"
A sudden chill moved through Aarav's body. His breath slowed as if time had dropped its weight on his chest.
With a sharp jerk, he moved his head from side to side.
"No… no, I'm not doing this…"
Footsteps soft, he shifted direction, moving backward as the mattress drew near.
Yet once more, the sound spoke.
Softer.
Almost… teasing.
"You started it."
The wall -
A noise came out of it.
Something moved, inching forward. A low scrape followed it across the floor.
As if a shape shifted beneath the surface.
Coming closer.
Aarav's chest tightened.
Beyond doubt, his gut pushed a single message
Don't turn around.
But fear…
Fear pushes folks toward poor choices. Sometimes it's hard to think straight when scared. Mistakes happen more easily under pressure. A shaky mind leads down bad paths. Wrong moves follow when nerves take over.
And Aarav -
Turned.
A flash of time passed. Then stillness returned
A split before silence returns. One breath held too long. Then nothing at all
He saw it.
A shape just barely pushing outward beneath the surface. It sits low where the plaster meets shadow.
Something pushes back, like it's coming through from beyond.
Still making my way. Hope it reaches you.
A shape.
A bit resembling a hand, yet not quite.
Then -
It disappeared.
Stillness took the wall.
Silent.
Normal.
Like it never occurred.
A silence held him in place. Still as stone, he stayed where his feet had stopped.
Fine beads of sweat rolled off his forehead.
Shaking took hold of him from head to toe.
"No…" he whispered. "No, I'm done…"
Out the door he went, clutching keys and phone
Footsteps echoed down the hall - time had come to go.
Right now.
Then his hand touched the door -
The knocking returned.
Off the wall it wasn't.
From anywhere but there.
Yet starting at the doorway.
KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK
Aarav froze.
A tremor ran through his fingers as they neared the metal grip.
Every beat slammed hard against his ribs. The rhythm raced without warning. Inside his chest, a drum kicked nonstop.
Slowly…
A figure stood near the entrance. His eyes moved that way.
And then -
A soft sound came through once more.
Close by where he hears.
"Open it."