Aarav didn't go home.
Not after what happened.
He walked.
Through crowded streets.
Past people.
Past noise.
Past normal life.
But nothing felt real anymore.
Every face he saw—
He questioned it.
Is that really them?
Or something wearing them?
His mind wouldn't stop.
His reflection.
His double.
That thing.
It was out there.
Walking.
Talking.
Living.
As him.
He stopped near an empty bus stand.
Evening had started to fall.
The sky turning dark.
That same cold feeling returned.
Night was coming.
And with it—
12:03 AM.
Aarav sat down slowly.
Head in his hands.
"I can't do this…" he whispered.
"You don't have a choice."
Aarav froze.
That voice—
Wasn't his.
He looked up.
A girl stood a few steps away.
Around his age.
Maybe a little older.
Black hoodie.
Sharp eyes.
Calm expression.
Too calm.
Like she didn't belong in this world.
"…Who are you?" Aarav asked carefully.
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
She studied him.
From head to toe.
"…You saw it, didn't you?" she said finally.
Aarav's breath caught.
"…What?"
"Yourself," she said.
A pause.
"Outside the mirror."
Silence.
Aarav stood up slowly.
"How do you know that?"
She sighed.
"…Because you're still here."
That answer made no sense.
But somehow—
It felt right.
She stepped closer.
"Most people don't last this long," she continued.
Aarav frowned.
"…What do you mean?"
She looked at him directly.
"No one who sees their double… stays themselves for long."
A chill ran down his spine.
"…Then why am I still me?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"…Are you?"
Silence.
Heavy.
Aarav didn't reply.
Because for a moment—
He didn't know.
"My name is Meera," she said.
Still calm.
Still controlled.
"I've been dealing with this for two years."
Aarav's eyes widened.
"…Two years?"
She nodded.
"And I'm still alive."
A pause.
"Which makes me rare."
Aarav stepped closer.
"Then tell me what's happening," he said urgently.
"What are those things?"
"What do they want?"
"Why me?"
Meera looked at the sky.
Dark now.
Night had arrived.
"…They're not random," she said quietly.
"They don't just appear."
"They choose."
Aarav's chest tightened.
"…Choose what?"
She looked back at him.
"People who notice."
Aarav froze.
"They exist around everyone," she continued.
"Watching. Waiting."
"But most people never see them."
A pause.
"Because most people don't question reality."
Aarav's mind raced.
"So… the moment I saw it—"
"You got marked," Meera interrupted.
The word hit hard.
Marked.
"…For what?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
She pulled something out of her bag.
A notebook.
Old.
Worn.
Edges torn.
She handed it to him.
"Read."
Aarav opened it.
Pages filled with writing.
Messy.
Rushed.
Rules.
Dozens of them.
His eyes scanned quickly.
Rule 1: Don't look behind you after midnight.Rule 2: If someone calls your name at night… it's not them.Rule 3: If you see yourself… don't blink.Rule 4: Don't show fear.
His hands trembled.
"These…" he whispered.
"…I got these messages."
Meera nodded.
"They guide you."
A pause.
"But they don't save you."
Aarav looked up.
"…Then what does?"
For the first time—
Meera's expression changed.
Slightly.
Something darker.
"You don't win," she said.
"You survive."
Silence.
Then—
A scream.
Both of them turned.
Across the street—
A boy.
On the ground.
Shaking.
People gathered around.
Confused.
Panicking.
"What's happening?" Aarav said.
Meera didn't move.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…Too late."
The boy suddenly stopped moving.
Completely still.
Silence spread.
Then—
He stood up.
Slowly.
Too smoothly.
His head tilted.
Just like—
Aarav's breath stopped.
"No…"
The boy smiled.
Wide.
Empty.
Wrong.
People around him relaxed.
"Oh, he's okay," someone said.
"Probably just fainted."
Meera turned away.
"…See?"
Aarav stared in horror.
"That's it?"
"That's how it happens?!"
She nodded.
"They don't attack."
"They replace."
Aarav looked back at the boy.
He was laughing now.
Talking.
Normal.
Like nothing happened.
"…And no one notices?" Aarav whispered.
Meera shook her head.
"They only notice… when it's too late."
Aarav's phone buzzed.
Again.
He didn't want to look.
But he did.
A new message.
"Rule 5: Once it replaces someone…"
The screen glitched.
Then—
"…they're gone forever."
Aarav's hands went cold.
He looked up slowly.
The street.
The people.
The boy.
All normal.
All wrong.
"…How many?" Aarav asked quietly.
Meera didn't hesitate.
"More than you think."
A pause.
Then she added—
"…Less than what's coming."
🔥 END OF CHAPTER 5