[Mumbai - 2 weeks before the Mansion]
Aarav ka phone vibrate karta hai. Notification flash hoti hai - "2 MILLION SUBSCRIBERS! 🎉"
"YESSSS! FINALLY!" Aarav literally khushi se uchal pada apne Versova wale flat mein. Turant Instagram story dali - boomerang mein champagne bottle ko shake karte hue (actually Appy Fizz thi but aesthetic ke liye bottle mein daal li thi).
WhatsApp Group: "We The Chaos 🤪"
[3:47 PM]
Aarav: GUYS GUYS GUYS!!!
Aarav: 2 MILLION HO GAYE MERE!!! 🥳🥳🥳
Aarav: [Screenshot attached]
Myra: OMG AARUUU!!! PARTY WHEN??? ✨
Myra: Tarot mein aaya tha success ka card kal!
Rehan: Congrats bhai! NFT launch kar ab 2M special
Rehan: Crypto mein invest kar, subscriber se zyada paisa 💸
Kavya: CONGRATULATIONS! 🎊
Kavya: Podcast pe aana hai? "Journey to 2M" episode?
Zain: GG bro! Well played 🎮
Zain: Valorant mein carry kar diya tune content ko
Aarav smile karte hue sofa pe gir gaya. Ye log - ye uske actual friends the. Content creation ki duniya mein jahan sab fake hote hain, ye paanchon ka group college se saath tha.
[Flashback - St. Xavier's College, 2019]
Media Studies ki class mein professor ne group project diya tha. Randomly ye paanch same group mein aaye the. Aarav with his camera, Myra apne tarot cards shuffle karti hui, Rehan laptop pe Bitcoin charts dekhta hua, Kavya voice recorder mein kuch murmur karti hui, aur Zain PSP pe game khelta hua.
"Toh horror documentary banani hai," Aarav ne kaha tha.
"Main locations suggest kar sakti hun, tarot se vibes check kar lungi," Myra ne deck shuffle karte hue kaha.
"Budget main dekh lunga, crypto mein thoda profit hua hai," Rehan added.
"Research mere pe, true crime hai meri specialty," Kavya excited thi.
"Editing mein help kar dunga, gaming ke baad free hun raat ko," Zain ne bina upar dekhe kaha.
Bas. Usi din se "We The Chaos" ban gaya tha.
[Present - Starbucks, Linking Road]
"Toh kya plan hai celebration ka?" Myra ne Iced Caramel Macchiato sip karte hue poocha. Uske purple highlights sunlight mein chamak rahe the.
"Kuch crazy karna hai yaar," Aarav excited tha. "Jo content bhi ban jaye aur celebration bhi. Goa toh mainstream ho gaya hai."
"Crypto conference hai Goa mein waise bhi next week," Rehan ne phone check karte hue kaha. "Boring AF."
Kavya laptop pe kuch scroll kar rahi thi. "Guys, check this out!" Screen ghuma ke sabko dikhaya.
"THE MANSION 3AM - India's First Haunted Homestay Experience"
Rating: 4.8 ⭐ (2,847 reviews)
Location: Lonavala
Price: ₹13,000 per night (Full mansion booking)
"Bro, ye toh perfect hai!" Zain excited ho gaya. "Horror game IRL!"
"Reviews padho," Kavya ne scroll kiya:
"Genuinely creepy! 3:33 AM pe sach mein kuch hota hai!"
"Best horror experience ever! Not fake like other places"
"Midnight tour was INSANE! Still getting nightmares lol"
"13,000 for full mansion?" Rehan calculate karne laga. "5 log, 2600 per person for 2 nights. Sasta hai."
Myra ne apne cards nikale. "Wait, vibe check kar lun?"
Sabne eyes roll kiye but secretly sab curious the. Myra ke predictions weird tarike se accurate hote the.
Three cards pull kiye - Death (reversed), The Tower, Five of Cups.
"Umm..." Myra thodi nervous hui. "Transformation through chaos and emotional challenges."
"Perfect! Content gold hoga!" Aarav ne misinterpret kar liya purposely. "Book kar dete hain!"
[One Week Later - Myra's Apartment, Bandra]
Myra live stream kar rahi thi Instagram pe. 400+ viewers the.
"So guys, aaj general reading kar rahe hain. Let's see aapke November mein kya hone wala hai!"
Comments flood ho rahe the:
"Didi love life batao!"
"Career mein growth hogi?"
"Myra di you're so pretty!"
Cards shuffle karte time ek card gir gaya - The Hanged Man.
"Oops!" Myra ne uthaya. "Ye mere liye lag raha hai. Sacrifice and new perspective."
Suddenly lights flicker hui. Stream lag gaya.
"Guys, sorry! Mumbai ki electricity na!" Myra ne laugh kar diya, but andar se thoda dar gayi thi. Pichle kuch dino se weird cheezein ho rahi thi. Cards apne aap shuffle ho jaate the raat ko. Crystal ball mein fog zyada dikhne laga tha.
Phone buzz hua.
Kavya: Research kar rahi thi Mansion ke baare mein
Kavya: 1975 mein kuch hua tha wahan
Kavya: But records properly nahi mil rahe
Myra: Bad vibes aa rahe hain mujhe
Kavya: Chill kar, content ke liye perfect hai
Kavya: My podcast will blow up after this!
[Rehan's Office - BKC]
"WHAT THE F-" Rehan screen pe dekh ke chilla pada.
Bitcoin ka chart normal tha 2 second pehle. Abhi screen pe... kuch aur hi dikh raha tha. Chart ki lines se ek face ban gaya tha. Distorted, screaming face.
Refresh kiya. Normal chart.
"Stress ho raha hai," Rehan ne khud se kaha. 3 monitors pe different crypto charts khule the. Raat ke 2 baje se trade kar raha tha. Coffee cups desk pe pile up the.
Phone pe notification aayi - Zain ne kuch forward kiya tha group pe.
*[Video: MANSION 3AM REAL FOOTAGE]
30 second ka clip tha. Kisi ne haveli ke andar se record kiya tha. 3:33 AM ka timestamp tha. Camera shake kar raha tha, heavy breathing sunai de rahi thi. Suddenly, mirror mein kuch move kiya. Video pause kiya. Zoom kiya.
Mirror mein jo reflection thi... woh camera hold karne wale ki nahi thi.
"Edited hoga," Rehan ne phone side mein rakha. But excitement thi. Finally kuch interesting hone wala tha life mein charts aur candles ke alawa.
[Zain's Gaming Setup - Andheri]
"CLUTCH KARDIYA BOIS!" Zain ne headset mein chillaya. Valorant ka scoreboard show kar raha tha - 32 kills, 5 deaths.
Stream chat crazy ho raha tha:
"INSANE AIM BRO!"
"Tutorial when?"
"Carry me senpai!"
"Okay guys, aaj ke liye bas. Kal horror stream karenge - Phasmophobia with the squad!"
Stream end karte hi Aarav ka call aaya.
"Bro, mansion ka booking confirm ho gaya! Next Friday nikalna hai."
"Set hai! Main GoPro le aaunga, POV content banayenge."
"Myra dar rahi hai thodi."
"Woh hamesha darti hai. Fir bhi maza aata hai use. Waise..." Zain thoda quiet hua. "Tune woh video dekha jo viral ho raha hai mansion ka?"
"Haan, marketing strategy hogi."
"Maybe. But... kuch off laga mujhe. Game mein bhi aise glitches nahi hote."
"Tu overthing kar raha hai. Horror games zyada khel liye tune."
Zain ne laugh kiya. "Probably. Chal, Friday ko milte hain."
Call katne ke baad Zain ne apna monitor dekha. Screen pe Phasmophobia khula tha. But game main menu pe nahi tha. Kisi house ke andar tha character. Aur chat box mein kisi ne type kiya tha:
"Welcome to The Mansion. You're already playing."
Zain ne quickly Alt+F4 kiya. "Hack ho gaya lagta hai," muttering karte hue PC restart kiya.
[Thursday Night - Kavya's Recording Studio/Bedroom]
"What's up, crime junkies! Welcome to episode 45 of 'Khoon Ki Kahaniyan'!" Kavya apne podcast ke liye intro record kar rahi thi.
"Aaj hum baat karenge India's most haunted locations ki. Number 1 pe hai - The Mansion, Lonavala. Legend hai ki 1975 mein..."
Recording suddenly stop ho gayi. Software crash.
"Ugh!" Kavya frustrated ho gayi. Reopen kiya. Audio file corrupted.
Phir se start kiya. Is baar kuch aur record hua:
Playback kiya toh Kavya ki awaaz ke saath background mein whispers the. Clear nahi the but pattern tha - "Don't come... don't come... don't come..."
"What the hell?" Kavya ne headphones utaar diye. Room mein temperature drop ho gaya tha suddenly. Breath visible thi cold mein.
Phone vibrate hua.
Aarav: Pack kar liye sab? Kal subah 6 AM nikalna hai!
Kavya: Haan done! Excited!
But excited se zyada nervous thi. Research karte time jo cheezein mili thi... 1975 ka murder case, 5 college students, same age group... coincidence tha ya kuch aur?
Window ke bahar dekha. Mumbai ki humid raat thi but kamre mein abhi bhi thand thi. Somewhere deep down, Kavya knew - ye trip kuch aur hone wali thi. Content creation se kahin zyada kuch.
[Friday Morning - 5:45 AM]
Aarav ki Innova sab ko pick karte hue Expressway pe thi. Myra shotgun pe baithi thi, tarot cards shuffle karti hui. Rehan aur Kavya between mein the, dono apne phones pe busy. Zain last row mein half-asleep tha, gaming poori raat karne ke baad.
"Guys, vlog start kar raha hun!" Aarav ne camera on kiya.
"What's up, beautiful people! Aaj hum jaa rahe hain India's most haunted mansion mein! 2 Million special celebration in horror style!"
Sab ne camera ke liye fake excitement dikhayi but andar se sab thode nervous the. Mumbai se door jaate hue, fog badta jaa raha tha. Expressway pe gaadiyaan kam hoti jaa rahi thi.
Myra ne quietly ek card pull kiya apne liye - The Tower again.
Rehan ke phone pe notification aayi - Bitcoin mein massive dip. But chart ka pattern... mansion ke outline jaisa dikh raha tha.
Kavya earphones mein last night ki recording sun rahi thi. Whispers ab clear ho rahe the - "They never left... They never left..."
Zain ki neend mein mamla kuch aur tha. Sapne mein woh already mansion mein tha. But 1975 mein. Aur mirror mein jo reflection thi... woh uski nahi thi.
Innova Lonavala ke pahadon mein chadne lagi. Fog aur dense hota gaya. Google Maps ne announce kiya:
"In 500 meters, your destination is on the right - The Mansion 3AM."
Sab ne khidki se bahar dekha. Fog mein se slowly, ek massive Victorian-style haveli visible hui. Black gates, dead trees, and windows jaise aankhen ho staring at them.
"We're here, guys!" Aarav excited tha. Camera still roll kar raha tha.
But kisi ne notice nahi kiya - gate pe jo welcome board tha, uspe names already likhe the. Unke names. In red.
"Welcome Back - Aarav, Myra, Rehan, Kavya, Zain"
"You never really left"
Fog ne board cover kar diya before koi dekh pata.
The Mansion was waiting. After 48 years, they were home again.
[To Be Continued...]
Next Chapter: Check-in hoga, rooms assign honge, aur pehli raat ki shururat. The games are about to begin at 3:33 AM.