Aarav didn't want to turn.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run, to close his eyes, to pretend none of this was real.
But the whisper—
So close…
So cold…
"Look behind you."
His breathing turned shallow.
His hands trembled at his sides.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
He turned.
Nothing.
The room stood still.
Empty.
The same broken silence.
Aarav blinked.
"…what?"
His chest heaved as he looked around wildly.
"No… no, you were just here…"
He stumbled back, scanning every corner.
The wall.
The door.
The ceiling.
Nothing.
No shadow.
No figure.
No reflection.
Just him.
Alone.
Aarav let out a shaky laugh.
"…I'm done."
His voice cracked.
"I'm actually losing my mind."
He ran both hands through his hair, pacing the room.
"I need to get out… I need to leave this place…"
He grabbed his phone, keys—
Anything.
But as he moved toward the door—
Something stopped him.
A feeling.
Wrong.
Heavy.
Like the room itself had changed.
Aarav frowned.
Slowly…
He turned his head.
And froze.
His breath caught instantly.
Because—
There was a door.
Right there.
On the wall.
The same wall.
The one that had been knocking.
The one that had been… breathing.
Now—
It had a door.
Tall.
Black.
Old.
Its surface was cracked, as if it had been there for years…
But Aarav knew—
It hadn't been there before.
"…no…"
His voice came out as a whisper.
"That wasn't there…"
He took a step back.
His heart pounded violently.
"I would've seen it…"
The air around the door felt different.
Colder.
Heavier.
Like it didn't belong in this world.
Aarav shook his head.
"No… this is wrong… this is really wrong…"
He turned away.
"I'm leaving."
He walked toward the main door again.
Faster this time.
Desperate.
His hand reached for the handle—
And stopped.
Because the knocking started again.
KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK
Aarav froze.
His eyes slowly drifted back toward the new door.
The sound—
Was coming from inside it.
His chest tightened.
"No…"
Another knock.
Slower this time.
Heavier.
KNOCK… …KNOCK… …KNOCK
It wasn't asking anymore.
It was waiting.
Aarav stepped back.
"I'm not opening that."
Silence.
Then—
A creak.
Soft.
Long.
The black door…
Moved.
It opened.
Just slightly.
On its own.
A thin line of red light spilled out from the gap.
Aarav's breath hitched.
The light wasn't normal.
It felt… alive.
Like it was watching him.
The gap widened slowly.
The darkness inside the door shifted.
Something moved within it.
Aarav shook his head, backing away.
"No… no, I'm not going near that…"
But his feet didn't listen.
Step.
By step.
He moved closer.
Like something was pulling him.
Dragging him forward.
His heartbeat grew louder.
Faster.
Deeper.
The knocking started again—
But this time…
It wasn't from inside the door.
It was from his chest.
THUMP… THUMP… THUMP
Aarav's eyes widened.
"No… that's not…"
He pressed his hand against his heart.
The rhythm—
Matched the knocks perfectly.
And then—
The voice returned.
Not from the wall.
Not from behind him.
But from inside the door.
Soft.
Calm.
Almost… welcoming.
"You finally found me."
Aarav stood frozen.
The red light flickered.
The darkness inside shifted again.
And slowly—
A shape began to form.
A silhouette.
Standing just beyond the doorway.
Same height.
Same posture.
Same presence.
Aarav's breath trembled.
"No…"
The figure stepped closer.
Still hidden in shadow.
But now—
Close enough.
Close enough for him to see—
Its face.
It was him.
Same eyes.
Same features.
Same everything.
Except—
It was smiling.
That same unnatural, wide smile.
Aarav stumbled backward.
"This isn't real… this isn't real…"
The figure tilted its head slightly.
Just like before.
Mirroring him.
And then—
It stepped forward.
Out of the darkness.
The red light dimmed.
The room felt smaller.
Tighter.
Like something had entered that wasn't supposed to.
Aarav shook his head violently.
"Stay away from me…"
The copy didn't stop.
It took another step.
Closer.
Closer.
Until it stood just inches away.
Aarav couldn't breathe.
Couldn't move.
Couldn't think.
The copy leaned forward slightly.
Its voice low.
Whispering directly into his ear—
"My turn."
The lights went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
And in that darkness—
Aarav heard it.
Not from the wall.
Not from the door.
But from right behind his eyes—
KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK