The night was unusually quiet.
Aarav lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his room lit only by the faint glow of his phone screen. The fan above spun slowly, making a soft ticking sound with every rotation. Outside, the city had gone to sleep—no traffic, no voices, just the distant hum of electricity.
2:13 AM.
He didn't know why he was still awake. Maybe it was the endless scrolling, or maybe just one of those nights when sleep refuses to come. His thumb moved lazily across the screen—social media, reels, messages, nothing new. Everything felt repetitive.
Then suddenly—
Buzz.
His phone vibrated sharply against his hand.
Aarav frowned. No one texts this late unless it's important… or weird.
He glanced at the notification.
Unknown Number
His heartbeat slowed for a second. Then picked up again.
"Probably spam," he muttered under his breath.
Still, curiosity won.
He tapped on the message.
There was only one line.
"You're not where you think you are."
Aarav blinked.
"…What?"
He stared at the screen, waiting for another message. Nothing came. Just that one sentence, sitting there like it meant something more than it said.
He checked the number. No name. No profile picture. Just a blank account.
"Okay… creepy," he whispered.
He quickly typed back:
Who is this?
The message sent instantly. No delay.
And then… silence.
No typing dots. No reply.
Aarav let out a small laugh, trying to shake off the strange feeling creeping up his spine.
"People really have nothing better to do," he said, locking his phone.
He placed it beside him on the bed and turned to his side, pulling the blanket closer. His eyes shut, but his mind didn't.
The message replayed in his head.
"You're not where you think you are."
What does that even mean?
A joke? A prank? Wrong number?
He opened his eyes again.
The room looked the same. His desk near the window. His bag on the chair. The half-open wardrobe. Everything exactly where it should be.
Still… something felt off.
Aarav grabbed his phone again and opened the chat.
The message was still there.
He read it once more. Slowly this time.
"You're not where you think you are."
For a brief moment, he felt like the words were… watching him.
He shook his head immediately.
"Overthinking," he said firmly.
He locked the phone again and kept it face down this time.
Minutes passed.
Or maybe seconds.
He wasn't sure.
Just as his eyes began to get heavy—
Buzz.
His body tensed instantly.
Slowly, he turned his head toward the phone.
It vibrated again.
Buzz.
Aarav hesitated.
Then, with a deep breath, he picked it up.
The same unknown number.
A new message.
His fingers felt colder now.
He opened it.
"Look around."
A chill ran through his entire body.
This wasn't funny anymore.
Aarav sat up straight on his bed and instinctively looked around his room.
Nothing moved.
Nothing changed.
But the silence… felt louder now.
He swallowed hard.
"Okay… this is getting weird," he whispered.
His eyes stopped at the mirror across the room.
For a second, he thought he saw something—
A slight movement.
But when he focused… it was just his reflection.
Sitting there.
Staring back.
Exactly the same.
Aarav forced a laugh again, but it came out weaker this time.
"Enough," he said, more to himself than anyone else.
He opened the chat again and typed quickly:
Stop this. Who are you?
He hit send.
This time…
The typing dots appeared instantly.
Aarav froze.
They stayed.
Then disappeared.
Then came back again.
As if the sender was thinking… watching… waiting.
Finally, the reply arrived.
"Do you really want to know?"
Aarav's throat went dry.
His thumb hovered over the screen.
He didn't reply.
He couldn't.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
Colder.
Different.
He slowly looked back at the time.
Still…
2:13 AM.
The second hand hadn't moved.
Aarav's heart started pounding.
That's when he realized—
Something was very, very wrong.
And for the first time that night…
He wasn't sure if he was alone.