It poured like the sky had forgotten how to do anything else — heavy, relentless, and cold. Aarav stood by the window of his small apartment, staring at the empty street below. Streetlights flickered. Water flooded the roads. The city felt… off.
Like something was about to happen.
Or maybe already had.
Aarav wasn't the kind of person who believed in signs. He believed in logic, patterns, and facts. A software developer by profession, his world revolved around code — things that made sense.
But tonight… nothing made sense.
His phone buzzed.
Once.
Then again.
He ignored it at first. Probably another spam message or some useless notification. But when it buzzed a third time, something inside him told him to check it.
He picked up the phone.
Unknown Number.
He frowned.
"Who texts like this at 2:17 AM?"
He opened the message.
"DON'T OPEN THE DOOR."
Aarav blinked.
"What…?"
He looked at the message again, thinking it was some prank. But before he could react, another message appeared.
"If you open it, you die."
A chill ran down his spine.
"This is stupid," he muttered.
He typed back:
Who is this?
No reply.
He waited.
10 seconds.
20 seconds.
Nothing.
He shook his head and placed the phone down.
"Just someone messing around."
But then—
Knock. Knock.
Aarav froze.
His heart skipped a beat.
Slowly… very slowly… he turned his head toward the door.
Silence.
Then again—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Louder this time.
More urgent.
His throat went dry.
"Who is it?" he called out.
No answer.
The rain outside grew heavier, as if trying to drown out everything else.
His phone buzzed again.
He grabbed it instantly.
"I told you not to open it."
Aarav's breath quickened.
"How does he know someone's at my door?"
He walked toward the door cautiously. Every step felt heavier than the last. His hand hovered over the handle.
Another message came.
"It's not a person."
Aarav stopped.
"What does that even mean?"
The knocking grew aggressive now.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
"OPEN THE DOOR."
The voice from outside was distorted… like multiple voices speaking at once.
Aarav stumbled back.
"What the hell…?"
His phone buzzed again.
"If you open it, it will see you."
Aarav's mind raced.
"This has to be a prank… some kind of setup…"
But deep down, something felt very wrong.
The voice outside spoke again.
"AAARAV… I KNOW YOU'RE INSIDE."
His blood ran cold.
"How does it know my name?"
He never told anyone he lived here except a few close colleagues.
The knocking stopped.
Silence.
Complete silence.
Aarav held his breath.
Then—
A soft whisper from outside.
"Open… the door…"
His hand trembled.
Every logical part of his brain screamed: Don't do it.
But curiosity…
Curiosity is dangerous.
"What if someone actually needs help?" he thought.
"What if this is real?"
His phone buzzed again.
"Last warning."
Aarav closed his eyes.
"Just one look… through the peephole," he whispered.
He slowly leaned forward.
His eye reached the peephole.
Darkness.
Nothing there.
"No one's there?"
Relief washed over him.
"See? Just a stupid prank."
He exhaled and reached for the handle.
At that exact moment—
His phone buzzed violently.
He glanced down.
"IT'S BEHIND YOU."
Aarav's heart stopped.
Slowly… slowly… he turned around.
Nothing.
The room was empty.
"Enough!" he snapped. "This is getting out of hand."
Angry now, he walked back to the door.
"I'm ending this."
He grabbed the handle.
Turned it.
Opened the door.
The hallway outside was empty.
No one.
No footsteps.
No sound.
Just darkness stretching endlessly.
"Hello?" Aarav called out.
No response.
He stepped outside slightly.
Still nothing.
Then—
His phone buzzed again.
He looked down.
"You opened it."
Aarav felt something… shift.
The air grew colder.
Heavy.
Like the space around him was breathing.
Slowly… he turned back toward his apartment.
And froze.
Standing inside his room…
…was someone.
No.
Something.
It looked exactly like him.
Same face.
Same clothes.
Same expression.
But its eyes—
Completely black.
The thing smiled.
A twisted, unnatural smile.
And spoke in his voice:
"Now… I'm you."
Aarav stumbled back in horror.
"What… what are you?"
The creature tilted its head.
"You shouldn't have opened the door."
Before Aarav could react—
Everything went dark.
END OF DAY 1 (Cliffhanger)
Aarav wakes up the next morning…
But something is wrong.
Very wrong.
Because his reflection…
…is no longer following him.