The First Erased

The door slammed shut, and for a brief moment, silence filled the dimly lit room. Then, footsteps echoed outside. "They found us," Meera whispered, her voice urgent. Ravi and Raj exchanged a tense glance. "Who are 'they'?" Ravi asked. Meera grabbed a bag from the corner of the room and shoved it into Raj's hands. "No time. You need to go. Now." The air was thick with tension. The sound of the engine outside had stopped. Whoever was out there wasn't leaving. "There's a back exit," Meera said, pushing them toward a narrow hallway. "If they catch you, you'll disappear like the rest."

Ravi and Raj didn't argue. They ran through the dark passage as Meera stayed behind, locking the door behind them. "She's stalling them," Raj realized, breathing heavily. "She's giving us a chance to escape." They burst out into an alleyway, the cold night air hitting their faces. The streets were empty, too quiet. "Where now?" Raj asked, gripping the bag tightly. Ravi's mind raced. "We need to find out what's in that bag. Meera wouldn't have given it to us if it wasn't important. "They ran until they reached a safe distance, ducking into an

abandoned storefront. Ravi quickly unzipped the bag.

Inside were old newspaper clippings, photographs, and a small leather journal. "These are more disappearances," Ravi muttered, scanning the headlines. One caught his eye: "Missing Boy Declared Never Existed." He frowned. "What the hell does that mean?" Raj flipped through the journal. "Meera mentioned the first person who was erased. Maybe it's in here." He scanned the pages until he found a name underlined several times: Aarav. "Aarav…" Raj whispered. "I don't remember him." Ravi shook his head. "Neither do I. But someone wanted to make sure no one did." He turned the page and froze. There was a picture. And next to it, a note: "Find him before they do."

The realization sent a chill down their spines. "What if Aarav is still alive?" Raj asked. Ravi exhaled. "Then we need to find him before whoever erased him does." The weight of the situation sank in. They weren't just uncovering a mystery—they were stepping into something far bigger than themselves. "Let's go back to the library," Ravi suggested. "If Vikram worked there, maybe he left something behind that can help us." Raj nodded. "And if anyone asks, we're just two guys researching an old school project." He smirked, but his hands were shaking. "Yeah," Ravi muttered. "Except this project might get us killed."

They returned to the library, slipping inside unnoticed. The building was nearly empty, just a few night readers scattered among the shelves. "We need to find any records about Aarav," Ravi whispered. They searched the archives, pulling out yearbooks and old records. But page after page, there was no mention of him. "It's like he never existed," Raj murmured. Then, at the back of an old school record book, they found something strange—one page had been torn out. "Someone didn't want us to see this," Ravi said. Raj stared at the ripped edge. "But why erase just one name?".

A shadow fell over them. "Because names have power," a voice said. They spun around to see an old man standing behind them, his wrinkled face lined with something between fear and regret. "Who are you?" Raj asked. The man studied them carefully. "I'm the librarian," he said. "And if you're looking for Aarav, you're already in danger." Ravi held up the journal. "You knew him, didn't you?" The old man hesitated, then slowly nodded. "I did," he admitted. "A long time ago. Before they took him." Raj's heart pounded. "Who took him?" The librarian glanced around nervously. "The ones who decide who matters… and who doesn't."

Ravi clenched his fists. "Why was Aarav erased?" The librarian sighed. "Because he knew something he shouldn't have. And because he refused to forget." He motioned for them to follow him to the back of the library. "There's one thing they couldn't erase," he whispered, unlocking an old wooden cabinet. Inside was a dusty cassette tape. "This is all that's left of him." Raj took it carefully. "What's on it?" The librarian's voice dropped. "The truth. But if you listen to it, you can never go back." Ravi and Raj exchanged a look. They had already come too far. "Then we listen," Ravi said firmly.

They left the library quickly, making their way back to Ravi's apartment. Locking the door behind them, Raj set the tape into an old player. "Here goes nothing," he muttered, pressing play. The tape crackled to life. Then, a voice. "If you're hearing this… I don't have much time." It was young, uncertain, but determined. "My name is Aarav. And if I disappear, it's because I found the truth." Ravi and Raj leaned in closer. "They want to erase me," the voice continued. "But I won't let them. Someone needs to remember. Someone needs to stop them before it's too late."

The tape cut out abruptly. "That's it?" Raj asked. Ravi shook his head. "No. There's more." He rewound slightly, listening carefully. In the background, barely audible, was another voice. "They're coming." A loud crash. A scream. Then silence. The tape stopped. Neither of them spoke for a moment. "He knew," Raj whispered. "He knew they were coming for him." Ravi exhaled. "And now we know too." The weight of their discovery pressed down on them. They had uncovered something dangerous. And now, they weren't just searching for the truth—they were running from the same fate.

Just as that thought settled, there was a knock at the door. Three slow, deliberate knocks. Ravi and Raj froze. "Did you tell anyone where we were?" Raj whispered. Ravi shook his head. The knocks came again. Then, a voice—low, unfamiliar. "We know what you're looking for." Raj's pulse raced. "Do we open it?" Ravi swallowed hard. "I don't think we have a choice." Slowly, he reached for the handle, not knowing what—or who—was waiting on the other side.