Crispy and suspense thriller unique novel in 20000
At exactly 2:17 AM, Aarav's phone rang.
He didn't wake up immediately. The rain outside was loud—monsoon rain hammering the tin shade outside his Lucknow apartment. But the phone kept ringing. Not vibrating. Not flashing.
Ringing.
That was strange.
Aarav always kept his phone on silent.
His eyes snapped open.
The room was pitch dark. Power cut.
Only the phone screen glowed faintly on the table.
It rang again.
Unknown Number.
He let it ring.
Something about it felt wrong. Not fear—yet—but a discomfort crawling under his skin, like someone whispering his name in a crowded room.
It stopped.
Silence returned. Rain. Distant thunder.
Aarav exhaled and turned over.
The phone rang again.
This time, he picked it up.
"Hello?"
For a moment—nothing.
Then—
A whisper.
"Don't turn on the lights."
Aarav froze.
His breath caught in his throat.
"Who is this?"
The whisper came again, urgent now.
"They're watching."
Aarav sat up.
"What—who are you? What are you talking about?"
A pause.
Then the voice said something that made his blood run cold.
"I'm you… thirty minutes from now."
The line went dead.
Aarav stared at the screen.
Call ended.
No number.
No call log.
Nothing.
He checked again.
Still nothing.
His heart began pounding harder now. This wasn't a prank. It couldn't be. No number, no trace—
Thunder cracked loudly.
Instinctively, Aarav reached for the switch.
His fingers stopped mid-air.
"Don't turn on the lights."
The words echoed in his head.
He slowly pulled his hand back.
"What the hell is happening…"
Aarav worked as a cybersecurity analyst. Logic was his world. Systems. Patterns. Code.
Not… this.
He grabbed his laptop.
Battery: 38%.
Wi-Fi: dead.
No power.
Perfect.
He checked his phone again.
No signal.
No network.
Yet…
It had just received a call.
Aarav swallowed.
Then—
A soft creak.
From outside his room.
He froze.
He lived alone.
Slowly, very slowly, he stood up.
The rain masked smaller sounds—but that creak had been real.
He stepped toward the door.
Another sound.
Footsteps.
Not loud.
Careful.
Measured.
Inside his apartment.
Aarav's pulse exploded.
His eyes darted around the room.
No weapons.
Nothing.
His gaze landed on the metal lamp stand.
He grabbed it.
The footsteps stopped.
Silence again.
Then—
His phone vibrated.
A message.
Unknown sender.
He opened it.
"Hide. Now."
Without thinking, Aarav dropped to the floor and slid under the bed.
Dust filled his nose. He covered his mouth.
His heart was so loud he was sure it could be heard outside.
The bedroom door creaked open.
Aarav's entire body went rigid.
Heavy boots stepped inside.
Not one person.
Two.
Maybe three.
They didn't speak.
They didn't rush.
They searched.
Drawers opened.
Closet door creaked.
One of them walked closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Aarav could see the edge of a boot now.
Black.
Wet from rain.
It stopped right beside the bed.
Aarav stopped breathing.
The man crouched.
Aarav shut his eyes.
This is it.
This is how it ends.
Then—
Another phone vibrated.
Not Aarav's.
One of the intruders.
A whisper.
"Target not confirmed here."
A pause.
Then—
"Move to next location."
The boots moved away.
The door closed.
Silence.
Aarav stayed frozen.
One minute.
Two minutes.
Five.
Finally, he crawled out.
His legs trembled.
"What… was that…"
His phone vibrated again.
Another message.
"You're alive. Good."
Aarav typed back with shaking hands.
"WHO ARE YOU?"
The reply came instantly.
"I told you."
A pause.
Then—
"I'm you."