CHAPTER 1 – THE NIGHT DARKNESS HELD ITS BREATH
The night of 8th August, 2004 did not belong to humans.
At exactly 08:08 PM, the sky above the hospital twisted unnaturally—clouds rotating like a giant, black eye opening. No rain fell, yet the ground outside was wet, as if the earth itself was sweating in fear.
Inside the hospital room, my Mumma screamed, her voice echoing longer than it should have. The sound didn't fade—it sank into the walls.
My Papa walked up and down, faster now, whispering prayers under his breath. Every few seconds, he stopped… because he could hear footsteps behind him.
But no one was there.
In the corner, my elder sister stared at the door. She wasn't crying. She wasn't blinking.
She whispered softly,
"Papa… woh khada hai."
Papa turned sharply.
"Kaun?"
She pointed—
not at the door…
but above it.
The lights flickered.
A long shadow stretched across the ceiling, bending in ways shadows should not. The temperature dropped suddenly. My Mumma's breath turned visible, as if it were winter.
Then the clock froze.
08:08 PM.
The doctor shouted something—but his voice distorted, as if spoken underwater. The walls pulsed. The hospital bed shook.
And then—
I was born.
The moment I cried, every window in the ward cracked at once.
Dogs outside began to howl in pain. Somewhere far away, a temple bell rang by itself. A graveyard gate slammed shut.
The shadow on the ceiling split into many.
For one terrifying second, everyone saw them.
Tall.
Faceless.
Watching.
My sister screamed.
On my wrist, a black symbol burned into my skin, glowing like dying embers. My Mumma fainted. Papa dropped to his knees.
But the symbol vanished.
As if it was never there.
The doctor wrapped me quickly, whispering,
"Yeh bachcha… normal nahi hai."
Outside the hospital, deep beneath the earth, something ancient whispered my name.
The darkness had waited years for 08:08.
And now… it finally had me.