Mystery of the past

Arun sat at his desk, his laptop open, but his thoughts were miles away from the assignment on the screen. The dim light from the lamp cast long shadows across his room, but he barely noticed. His mind kept circling back to Maya's words, to the fear in her voice when she spoke about what was happening in their dorm room.

And now, the silence from Aryan was gnawing at him.

He checked his phone again. Still no messages.

It had been almost an hour since he called. Was Aryan even taking this seriously? Or maybe… his girlfriend didn't know anything?

Just as he was about to type out a message, his phone vibrated violently on the desk, making him jump slightly.

Aryan – Incoming Call

Arun grabbed the phone immediately.

"Took you long enough," he said, trying to keep his frustration in check.

There was no usual teasing from Aryan. His voice was lower than usual, a seriousness that sent an uneasy feeling creeping up Arun's spine.

"Listen, man… I talked to my girlfriend. And you might want to hear this."

Arun leaned forward, his grip tightening on the phone. "I'm listening."

A long pause. Then Aryan spoke.

"Room 279… isn't just any room."

Arun's heart pounded.

"What do you mean?"

"There are stories, Arun. Stories that people don't talk about openly. My girlfriend asked around, and… dude, a few years ago, something happened in that room."

Arun's throat felt dry. "What happened?"

"A girl used to live there. A senior. She was quiet, kept to herself. One day, she just… disappeared."

Silence.

Arun felt a cold chill crawl up his spine. "Disappeared?"

"I mean gone. No trace, no explanation. One night she was there, the next morning she wasn't. Her things were still in the room—phone, books, everything. No note, no signs of struggle. Just… vanished."

Aryan exhaled. " No one knows where she went. She didn't leave a note, didn't take her things, just vanished. Some say she ran away, some say she…" He trailed off.

Arun's heart pounded. "Some say she what?"

"…never left the room."

A cold silence stretched between them.

Arun swallowed. "That doesn't make any sense."

Arun clenched his jaw. "Didn't anyone investigate?"

"That's the thing," Aryan said. "The university kept it quiet. No missing person report, no police involvement. It's like they didn't want anyone to talk about it."

Arun's mind was racing. "That doesn't make sense. If someone vanished, why wouldn't they investigate?"

Aryan hesitated. "…Maybe because they knew there was something they couldn't explain."

A strange sense of unease settled over Arun. "What do you mean?"

Aryan lowered his voice. "Ever since that girl disappeared, students who stay in that room report… weird things. Things they can't explain. Feeling watched, hearing footsteps in an empty room, whispering at night."

Arun felt a shiver crawl down his back.

"And the worst part?" Aryan continued. "Almost everyone who stays in that room has the same kind of nightmares."

Arun froze.

Nightmares.

Maya had a nightmare. Liya had one too. And now Sana…

This wasn't a coincidence.

"Arun," Aryan's voice dropped even lower. "If Maya and her friends are experiencing the same things… maybe this isn't just in their heads."

Arun exhaled sharply, rubbing his temple. "Did anyone ever find out what really happened to that senior?"

Aryan was silent for a moment. Then he sighed.

"No. The university erased everything. No records, no details. But people in the hostel remember. And they remember that ever since then, something has been wrong with room 279."

Arun's grip on the phone tightened.

"You think it's haunted?" he asked, forcing himself to sound skeptical, even as his gut twisted with unease.

Aryan chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "I don't know, man. But whatever it is, it's not normal."

Arun ran a hand through his hair. He hated this. Hated the fact that Maya was caught up in something this strange.

"Listen, Arun," Aryan said seriously. "Tell your cousin to be careful. Maybe even request a room change."

Arun exhaled. "She won't. She doesn't want to seem paranoid."

Aryan cursed under his breath. "Then at least be there for her. And if anything else happens, tell me immediately."

Arun nodded, even though Aryan couldn't see him. "I will."

"Good," Aryan muttered. "And… Arun?"

"Yeah?"

A long pause.

"Be careful too."

The call ended, leaving Arun gripping his phone, his mind racing.

This wasn't just stress. This wasn't just paranoia.

Something was wrong with room 279.

And he was going to find out what.

Arun hung up and stared at his phone, his mind racing.

He needed to talk to Maya.

Now

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