3:17 AM.
Again.
Arjun did not sleep.
He was sitting on the floor, back against the wall, staring at the broken bathroom mirror.
The words were still there.
"THIS ISN'T OVER."
But something was wrong.
The red wasn't paint.
It was too dark.
Too thick.
And it was still dripping.
Slowly.
As if freshly written.
Arjun crawled closer.
His fingers trembled as he touched the liquid.
Warm.
He pulled his hand back instantly.
It smelled metallic.
Blood.
He stumbled backward, breathing hard.
"This isn't real… this isn't real…"
His phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
He didn't want to answer.
But he did.
Silence.
Then—
A sound.
Car engine.
Rain.
Wipers moving back and forth.
Exactly like that night.
His heart slammed against his ribs.
"…Why didn't you fix it?"
Her voice.
Soft.
Broken.
Right inside his ear.
"I was going to—"
"You knew."
The engine sound grew louder.
Almost like it was inside the room.
"You knew and you still drove."
The line cut.
Arjun threw the phone across the room.
It hit the wall.
But the sound of the wipers didn't stop.
Tak… tak… tak… tak…
He slowly turned his head.
The sound was coming from outside.
From the parking area below his apartment.
There was only one car parked there.
His.
The same car.
Police had returned it after investigation.
Total loss, they said.
But it was parked downstairs anyway.
Unmoved.
Waiting.
The Car That Shouldn't Start
He went downstairs.
He didn't remember deciding to.
It felt like his legs were moving on their own.
The parking area was empty.
Silent.
Except—
His car's headlights flickered on.
Engine running.
Wipers moving across a perfectly dry windshield.
Tak… tak… tak…
The driver-side door slowly creaked open.
Arjun froze.
There was no one inside.
But the passenger seat…
Was wet.
As if someone had just been sitting there.
And then—
He saw it.
In the rear-view mirror.
A shape in the backseat.
Not fully visible.
Just a shadow.
Head tilted.
Watching him.
His breathing became shallow.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
The engine suddenly roared loudly.
The doors slammed shut on their own.
The car locked.
Headlights went off.
Silence.
Complete silence.
When he stepped closer…
The backseat was empty.
The Investigation
Next morning, Arjun went to the mechanic.
The same one who had warned him.
The mechanic's face turned pale when he saw him.
"You shouldn't be here."
"What?"
"You survived."
Arjun grabbed his collar.
"What are you talking about?"
The mechanic's hands were shaking.
"I checked the brake line again after police came."
"And?"
"It wasn't damaged."
Arjun felt his stomach drop.
"It was cut."
Cleanly.
With something sharp.
Not worn out.
Not accidental.
Someone had sliced it.
"And there's something else…"
The mechanic hesitated.
"When I opened the backseat area… there were handprints."
Arjun's blood ran cold.
"Handprints?"
"Inside."
"From inside the car."
He felt dizzy.
"That's impossible."
The mechanic leaned closer and whispered:
"There were three different sets."
The Third Presence
Arjun went home in shock.
Three sets.
Him.
Meera.
And…
Who?
That night replayed again in his head.
The spin.
The crash.
The shadow.
Backseat.
Watching.
He rushed to his laptop.
Opened the police report.
Scrolling fast.
He hadn't read it properly before.
He was too broken.
Then he saw it.
One line.
"Witness reports claim a second vehicle was seen following the victim's car before the accident."
Following.
His chest tightened.
Who was following them?
And why?
His phone buzzed again.
But this time—
It wasn't unknown.
It was Meera's saved contact.
"Meera "
His hands went numb.
He answered slowly.
No static.
No engine.
Just breathing.
Very close.
Very intimate.
"Turn around."
His entire body froze.
He was sitting on his bed.
Facing the door.
He didn't want to.
But he did.
Slowly.
Behind him—
The wardrobe mirror.
And in the mirror—
He wasn't alone.
Meera was sitting on his bed.
Right behind him.
Body slightly bent.
Neck still twisted.
Eyes completely black.
But this time—
She was smiling.
Not sadly.
Not lovingly.
Cruelly.
"You let him follow us."
His mind exploded.
"Him?"
"You knew he was obsessed."
Arjun remembered.
Raghav.
Meera's ex.
Possessive.
Violent.
Unstable.
He had threatened them months ago.
But Arjun thought it was over.
"You said he stopped," Meera whispered.
Her voice now right next to his ear.
"I blocked him," Arjun choked.
"You ignored the messages."
The mirror cracked further.
Spiderweb fractures spreading.
"You knew he wouldn't stop."
The room temperature dropped.
Arjun could see his breath.
"He was behind us that night."
"No…"
"He cut the brakes."
The lights flickered violently.
"But you," she leaned closer, lips almost touching his ear,
"You gave him the chance."
The mirror shattered completely.
Darkness swallowed the room again.
But this time—
Arjun felt weight on the bed.
Someone crawling closer.
Slowly.
He didn't dare move.
Cold fingers touched the back of his neck.
Then a whisper:
"He's still alive."
His eyes widened.
"Find him."
The pressure on the bed vanished.
The lights came back.
He was alone.
But not completely.
On his pillow—
There was something wet.
A fresh fingerprint.
In blood.
Final Scene
3:17 AM.
Again.
His phone screen lit up on its own.
One new message.
From Meera
Just three words.
"I'm not alone."
Outside his window—
In the reflection of the glass—
He saw it.
Not Meera.
Not Raghav.
Something taller.
Standing behind him.
Not moving.
Watching.
Waiting.
And this time—
It smiled.