I woke up to silence.
Not peaceful silence.
Dead silence.
Like the whole world was holding its breath… waiting for me to open my eyes.
My head throbbed.
My body felt heavy.
My throat tasted like fear and salt.
I blinked slowly.
The ceiling above me wasn't my ceiling.
No glowing crack.
No paint peeling.
No fan threatening to fall and kill me.
Just—
White.
A soft, warm white glow.
Too warm.
Too perfect.
It felt wrong.
I sat up slowly.
I was in a room.
A room I had never seen in my current life.
But my bones recognized it.
A bed with sky-blue sheets.
Curtains fluttering without wind.
A crib in the corner.
A tiny wooden chair.
A framed drawing taped to the wall of three stick figures:
"Me, Mama, Papa."
My chest caved in.
I whispered, "No… no, no, no…"
Because I knew this room.
I didn't remember it.
I recognized it.
Like my soul walked here long before my mind ever did.
I slid off the bed, legs trembling, and walked toward the crib.
Empty.
The tiny pillow pressed down slightly—
like a baby had been lying there just moments ago.
My fingers brushed the edge.
And the world shifted.
A memory hit me like a punch:
A baby crying.
My arms rocking him.
A soft lullaby leaving my lips.
Someone warm behind me whispering,
"You're doing great, Anshu…"
My breath stuttered.
"Mama…"
The voice echoed faintly.
I spun around.
The boy stood at the door.
Tear-stained cheeks.
Small fists balled at his sides.
Eyes shining like he'd been waiting for me forever.
"Mama," he whispered again.
"You came back."
My heart broke in slow motion.
"I… I'm not supposed to be here," I whispered.
"This room doesn't exist in this timeline."
He nodded.
"This is the last place you were alive in mine."
My stomach twisted.
"Meaning…?"
He walked into the room, tiny steps echoing too loudly.
"This is the room where you died."
Silence.
Painful.
Suffocating.
Paralyzing.
I leaned against the bed because my legs suddenly forgot how to support me.
"What… happened here?" I managed to whisper.
The boy's eyes dropped to the floor.
"She found us."
My breath stopped.
"The other me?"
He nodded.
"She was jealous."
A tear rolled down his cheek.
"She wanted our Papa.
She wanted to live in our world.
She wanted to be you."
My heart shattered with a sharp, physical ache.
"And I—"
his voice wobbled—
"I couldn't save you."
I fell to my knees in front of him and pulled him into my arms.
He buried his face in my shoulder and sobbed.
"I tried, Mama. I really did… but she took everything."
My own tears blurred the room.
"I'm here now," I whispered.
"I'm right here."
His tiny hands clutched my shirt desperately.
"Don't leave me again."
I closed my eyes.
"I promise—"
A cold gust of air sliced through the room.
The lights flickered.
The furniture vibrated.
The boy gasped.
"She found us again."
No.
No, no, no.
Not here.
Not now.
Not in this room.
The shadows in the corner stretched upward.
Slowly.
Like they were standing up after a long sleep.
Two pale feet stepped out of the darkness.
Then the legs.
The hands.
The hair.
The glowing white eyes.
Her.
The other me.
But this time—
she looked worse.
Her skin cracked like porcelain.
Her smile too wide.
Her fingers sharp and twitching.
She tilted her head at me.
"This room suits you," she whispered.
"You died beautifully here."
The boy whimpered behind me.
I stepped in front of him.
"Stay back," I hissed.
Other-Me giggled softly.
"Oh, Mama Bear now? Cute."
She crouched slowly, eyes fixed on me.
"You shouldn't have come here. This is MY memory."
"It was mine first."
Her smile dropped.
She stood.
Straightened her neck with a sickening crack.
"Well," she said softly,
"Let's finish what began here."
She lifted her hand.
Reality rippled.
My vision blurred.
The room dissolved around me—
And suddenly—
Someone grabbed me from behind, yanking me backward into another timeline tear.
I screamed.
The boy screamed.
The other me lunged.
And then the world snapped apart.
I crashed against a wall in another place entirely—
And the stranger was holding me tight, breathing hard, eyes wild.
"You walked into the wrong memory," he whispered.
My nails dug into his arms.
"She tried to kill me."
He nodded shakily.
"She will again."
And then—
His voice broke.
"She always kills you in that room."
---