Chapter 2 – I Died Yesterday… But She's Still Serving Me Poison Tonight
The ceiling fan creaked overhead with that same irritating rhythm I remembered from my deathbed.
My eyes snapped open. Sweat already clung to my back even though the April evening air in Ranchi still carried some leftover heat from the day. The smell of dal and vegetables drifted in from the kitchen — the exact same bitter edge hidden underneath the spices. My heart slammed against my ribs like it was trying to break out.
I wasn't supposed to be here.
I had died last night. On that hard bed in the small room. On the floor, choking while Priya watched me with cold, calculating eyes. I remembered the exact moment my heartbeat stopped. The darkness. The silence.
And now I was awake again. Same time. Same day. Same nightmare looping back to life.
I sat up so fast the room spun. My hands trembled as I touched my chest, my face, my arms. Everything felt real. Too real. The fan's creak, the distant honking from Lalpur colony, the faint metallic taste still lingering at the back of my tongue from yesterday's dinner.
"This can't be happening…" I whispered. My voice cracked.
Memories crashed over me like cold water. Priya's bitter words. Vikram's low murmur behind the bedroom door. The way she had said my name like it was already a dead thing — "Kripa Sharma will no longer be part of my life."
I died because of her.
And now I was back before she could finish the job.
I swung my legs off the bed. No time to sit and wonder how or why. Survival instinct took over completely. If this was real — if I had actually been given another chance — then the poison was already being prepared in that kitchen right now.
"Kripa! Dinner is ready!" Priya's voice called from outside, sweet and normal like nothing had ever happened.
My stomach twisted. That voice used to make me smile. Now it made my skin crawl.
I stepped out of the small room. Priya was setting plates on the table, wearing the same light blue salwar she had on during my final moments. She glanced at me and offered a small smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"You look tired," she said. "Rough day again?"
I forced myself to nod. "Yeah. Traffic was bad."
My hands were still shaking when I sat down. I had to hide them under the table. The dal smelled exactly the same — that faint bitterness hiding underneath the spices. Last time I had ignored it. This time I knew better.
Priya served me generously, watching every movement. Her eyes lingered on my spoon the same way they had before. Calculating. Waiting.
I picked up the spoon. My throat felt dry.
For a second I almost wanted to scream at her, to throw the plate across the room and demand answers. But that would change nothing. She would deny everything. Vikram would come faster. And I would still end up dead.
No. Not this time.
I smiled weakly at her. "Smells good."
Then I began the performance.
Spoon after spoon, I pretended to eat. But every time Priya looked toward the kitchen or checked her phone, I quickly slipped a mouthful into the small polybag I had hidden inside my shirt pocket. The plastic crinkled softly once. My heart nearly stopped.
Priya's eyes snapped toward my hand.
For one terrifying second our gazes locked. I froze mid-motion, the spoon still halfway to my mouth.
"Did you say something?" I asked quickly, forcing my voice to stay casual.
She stared at me for two long beats. Then she shook her head. "No. Just eat properly today. You left half the plate yesterday."
I nodded and brought the empty spoon to my mouth, making a satisfied sound. Inside my chest, my heart was running a marathon. One mistake and this second chance would end exactly like the first.
I continued the act, discarding bite after bite into the hidden polybag while keeping my face completely normal. By the time the plate looked clean, my shirt pocket felt heavy and warm against my skin. The bitter smell clung to my fingers.
Priya seemed satisfied. She even ate a little herself, though I noticed she barely touched the dal. Of course she wouldn't. She knew exactly what was in it.
I wanted to vomit.
Instead I stood up and said, "I'll wash the plates."
"No need," she replied smoothly. "You rest. You look exhausted."
Her phone vibrated on the table. She glanced at the screen and a tiny smile touched her lips before she hid it. Vikram. It had to be.
While she was distracted replying to the message, I slipped into the small bathroom and emptied the polybag into the toilet. I flushed twice. My hands wouldn't stop shaking even after I washed them.
I had avoided the poison.
But the danger wasn't gone. Not even close.
The colony outside was getting louder. Strange sounds drifted through the half-open window — distant screams, something heavy slamming against metal gates, a man laughing in a high-pitched broken way that didn't sound human anymore. Uncle Rajesh's episodes were clearly getting worse.
Priya stepped into the bedroom. I followed quietly and stood near the door, pretending to check my own phone.
That's when I heard her whisper.
She was on a call, voice low but clear enough for me to catch every word.
"…yes, he ate everything tonight. Should work faster this time. But if he doesn't react by midnight, we'll handle it tomorrow morning ourselves. I'm not waiting anymore, Vikram. If he survives tonight as well… I will deal with him personally."
My blood turned to ice.
Even without the poison, they had backup plans. They weren't going to let me live.
I backed away silently, heart hammering so hard I was scared she would hear it. The walls of the small 2BHK felt like they were closing in. The fan's creaking suddenly sounded like laughter.
This second chance was already cracking.
I needed to get out of this house. Tonight.
But before I could even reach the main door, Priya stepped out of the bedroom. Her eyes locked onto mine with that same cold calculation I remembered from my dying moments.
"You didn't eat properly today, did you?" she asked softly.
The question hung in the air like a blade.
At the exact same moment, something heavy slammed violently against the main door from outside. Once. Twice. The wood rattled. A guttural, wet laugh followed — too close, too wrong.
Priya didn't even flinch. She took one step toward me.
And inside my head, a cold mechanical voice spoke for the first time:
[Survival System Activated]
[Host has altered fatal timeline]
[Fatal Outcome Avoided: 1]
[Primary Objective: Survive Beyond This Night]
[Quest Generated: Escape the House Before Midnight]
[Reward: First Stage Enhancement + 100 Survival Points]
[Warning: Multiple lethal threats detected inside and outside the premises]
A sharp pressure stabbed behind my eyes as the words burned into my mind. My vision flickered for a split second.
Priya smiled. It was small, almost gentle.
Outside, the banging on the d
oor grew louder.
This wasn't a second chance.
This was a test.
And this time, I wouldn't die quietly.
End chapter