The darkness did not come quickly. At first, Meenal thought she had gone blind; she could not see anything. It felt strange because she could still feel the space around her. She knew the lobby was here. She knew the lobby was there. She knew the walls, but her eyes refused to see.
Then the lights came back. Not all at once, as 90 percent of the lights of the lobby were burst by the spirit. One bulb turned on near the staircase, another near the elevator. The rest stayed dark. The lobby now looked like two parts; in one part there was a dim light near the staircase and the elevator, and the rest was completely covered in darkness.
Everyone was still there; it felt strange. Dev checked and said in relief, "No one is missing this time." Riya, in an aggressive way, asked Dev, "Why should anyone be gone?" Dev replied, "Because every time she has taken a person when the lights aren't there, and the moment when the light comes, someone is missing. Recently we all saw Keshav and how the spirit took him with herself."
Vivek said, "It's not the right time to discuss; we have to be strong and be together. If we stay, nothing will happen to us."
Rhea felt a strange discomfort inside her head. Somewhere deep in her mind, something she couldn't express in words, she closed her eyes and saw a vision; she saw that the spirit was sitting idle on the chair in room no. 801. She was looking so horrible that she can't describe it in words. She saw that she was holding a very sharp knife in her left hand and holding Keshav's neck in her right hand. She heard a very painful scream from Keshav, and Rhea fell down.
All of the friends looked at Rhea and asked her what happened. Then Rhea told them that she saw a vision in which the spirit was sitting on the chair; she was holding a knife in her left hand, and in her right hand, she was holding Keshav's neck. Then she heard a very painful noise from Keshav.
For a moment no one spoke. Rhea's words hung in the air, heavier than the darkness around them. The dim light near the staircase flickered, as if it, too, was struggling to stay alive.
"What do you mean... you saw it?" Meenal asked nervously.
Rhea wiped sweat from her forehead. "It was awake. I could feel the floor when I fell. But inside my head it was clear. It was that clear. Room 801. the chair near the the mirror and the spirit sitting on it her creepy smile and that sharp knife in her hand I think by now she must have killed Keshav, and now she will again come to hunt us.
Dev swallowed hard. "Why room 801 again?" he asked. Why that room keeps coming back. Vivek looked at Dev and very slowly said, "Because that is her powerhouse. Remember Keshav said that Anjali and Rameshwar Singh were also brutally murdered by that spirit in room 801."
Just then, the elevator let out a low ding. Nothing moved. The doors remained shut, but the sound echoed through the lobby unnaturally, like it came from inside their heads rather than the machine itself.
Dev said, "There is certainly something going to happen." Meenal grabbed Rhea's arm. Rhea was shocked that without any power the elevator was working. As she said, the dim light near the staircase flickered twice and went off. Now only the bulb near the elevator remained on.
Rhea suddenly clutched her head again. She said, "She knows I saw her; that's why she is doing all this." "Don't say that," Dev said quickly, though fear was clear in his voice too. She can't hear someone's thoughts. "She can," said Rhea This belongs to her. She can do anything that she wants—terrify someone, possess someone, or even kill someone.
The elevator doors creakily opened by themselves. Cold air rushed out, carrying a strong rotten smell. The inside of the elevator was completely dark. Suddenly a number appeared inside the lift, and everyone was terrified after looking at that number. That number was "8."
"No, no way; no one is going on that eighth floor.
From somewhere above them, a slow dragging sound echoed like metal scratching against the floor. Suddenly the emergency staircase door slammed shut on its own. Everyone jumped back. The bulb near the elevator began to flicker violently, switching as if it were the last hope between a little brightness and complete darkness.
After a few seconds, there was again complete darkness in the lobby, and the temperature again fell. In this, Meenal thought she saw a figure still, standing looking with her misaligned, bloodied eyes. Meenal screamed after seeing this; she said, "The spirit is here again." But when she again looked inside the elevator, there was no one. Vivek said, "Guys, we have to stay calm. The more we panic, the more she will play with our minds." Rhea said, "Yes, he is right; we have to be completely calm."
But Vivek said, "We can't stay here. The lobby isn't safe anymore." "Then where should we go? The rooms aren't safe either," said Rhea. Suddenly all heard an very still voice coming from the speakers above "You think the light saved you?" "But I was never in the dark. I was always inside you. One by one, your own fear will open the door for me. Tonight no one leaves the building alive. After listening to all this, the legs of all six friends were trembling, and the heartbeats of all friends dropped for once.