3:17 AM
I woke up at exactly 3:17 AM
Not 3:16 AM
Not 3:18 AM
3:17 AM
My room was quiet — too quiet. Even the ceiling fan sounded distant, like it didn't belong to this house.
I don't know what woke me up.
But something felt wrong.
I sat up slowly, my heart beating faster than it should. The air felt heavy, thick. Like the room
had been holding its breath.
That's when I saw it.
My desk lamp was on.
I never sleep with the light on.
I turned toward my desk.
There was a notebook lying open.
I froze...
I was sure I had closed it before going to bed.
For a moment, I told myself I was just tired. Overthinking again. I do that a lot.
But then I noticed something else.
The pen was still on top of the page.
As if someone had just finished writing.
My throat went dry.
I got out of bed slowly, each step careful, like the floor might crack under me. I reached the
desk and looked down.
There was only one sentence written on the page
Five words.
"Stop pretending you don't remember."
My chest tightened.
The handwriting was mine.
Every curve. Every stroke.
It was mine.
But I didn't write it.
I know I didn't.
I tried to think back. Did I wake up earlier? Did I sit here half-asleep?
No...
I would remember.
Wouldn't I?
A sudden vibration made me jump!
My phone.
A new notification.
Unknown Number.
My hands were shaking when I opened it.
One message.
'You're running out of time.'
My vision blurred for a second.
This isn't funny.
This isn't normal.
I typed back: 'Who is this?'
Three dots appeared immediately.
Typing...
Then stopped.
Then typing again.
My heartbeat pounded in my ears.
Finally, the reply came.
'You know me.'
The room felt smaller.
My mind started racing.
Kabir...
The name slipped into my thoughts without warning.
My best friend.
The one who "ran away" a year ago.
The one everyone stopped talking about.
The one I barely remember the last night with.
There's a gap in my memory.
A missing piece.
And every time I try to focus on it, my head starts to ache.
I looked back at the notebook.
"Stop pretending you don't remember."
Remember what?
Suddenly, I noticed something I hadn't seen before.
At the bottom corner of the page…
A time written in small ink.
3:17 AM
My stomach dropped.
Because I had just woken up at 3:17 AM
Which means…Whoever wrote that note was in this room while I was asleep.
Or worse.
I wasn't asleep at all.
And I just don't remember.