Chapter 2: Check-In & Chill? 💀
[The Mansion - Friday, 11:30 AM]
"Bro, ye toh Instagram heaven hai!" Aarav practically mansion ke entrance pe hi 20 photos click kar chuka tha. Victorian architecture, gothic vibes, aesthetic overload.
"Temperature check karo yaar," Myra shiver karte hue boli. "Bahar 32 degrees hai, yahan andar AC bhi nahi dikh raha but it's freezing!"
Receptionist - ek budhi aunty jo kaafi sweet lag rahi thi - smile karte hue aayi. "Welcome to The Mansion! Aap log Aarav ji ka group?"
"Yes aunty!" Kavya friendly tone mein boli.
"Main Mrs. Sharma. Caretaker hun yahan ki. Rules samjha dun pehle?"
Rehan phone se upar dekha. "Rules? Haunted house ke bhi rules?"
Mrs. Sharma ka smile thoda fade hua. "Beta, ye mazak ki baat nahi hai. Rules follow nahi karoge toh..."
"Toh?" Zain interested ho gaya.
"Toh experience zyada intense ho jayega. Aur hum responsible nahi honge."
[Living Area - Rules Explanation]
Sab log massive living room mein settle hue. Purane leather sofas the, walls pe creepy portraits, fireplace mein aag nahi thi but smoke ka smell tha.
WhatsApp Group: "We The Chaos 🤪"
[11:45 AM]
Myra: Guys ye paintings ki aankhen follow kar rahi hain kya?
Zain: Optical illusion hoga
Zain: But NGL, creepy AF
Rehan: WiFi password poocho pehle
Aarav: Content pehle, WiFi baad mein!
Kavya: Recording already start kar di hai 😎
Mrs. Sharma throat clear karke boli, "Toh rules sunte jao:
Raat 3:30 ke baad apne rooms se bahar mat nikalnaThird floor pe mat jaana - renovation chal raha haiBasement locked hai, wahan entry prohibitedMirrors raat ko cover kar denaKoi bhi awaaz sunayi de, investigate mat karna"
"Ye toh horror movie clichés hain," Zain whisper kiya.
"Beta," Mrs. Sharma directly Zain ko dekh ke boli, "1975 mein bhi kisi ne yahi kaha tha."
Awkward silence.
"1975 mein kya hua tha?" Kavya journalist mode mein aa gayi.
"Woh... past ki baat hai. Aap log enjoy karo. Lunch 1 PM ko ready hoga dining hall mein." Mrs. Sharma quickly topic change karke chali gayi.
[Room Allocation - 12:00 PM]
"Toh room sharing ka kya scene hai?" Aarav ne keys uthate hue poocha.
"Ladies first!" Myra ne ek key uthaya. "Room 13... seriously?"
"Main bhi aa rahi hun tere saath!" Kavya ne decide kiya. "Akele dar lagega."
"Hum teeno ek room mein adjust kar lenge," Rehan practical tha.
"Bro, teen rooms hain. Main toh single room lunga," Zain ne Room 7 ki key uthayi. "Gaming setup lagana hai."
"Rehan, tu mere saath Room 9 mein chal," Aarav ne suggest kiya.
Myra and Kavya - Room 13
Room kaafi spacious tha. Do single beds, ek bada mirror (jo abhi cover karna padega), aur window se garden view.
"Kavya, teri love life ka kya scene hai aajkal?" Myra bags unpack karte hue poocha.
"Ugh, mat pooch! That Tinder guy, Arjun? Ghosting kar diya after 3 dates!"
"Mercury retrograde tha na last month," Myra seriously boli.
"Tere tarot cards har cheez ka jawab nahi hote, Myra!" Kavya laugh kari. "Waise teri aur Aarav ki kya chemistry hai?"
Myra blush kar gayi. "Kuch nahi! We're just friends!"
"'Just friends' jo 2 AM tak video call karte hain?"
"Woh content discuss kar rahe the hum!"
"Sure, sure. Content." Kavya smirk kari. "Waise confession - mujhe Rehan pe thoda crush tha college mein."
"WHAT?!" Myra excited ho gayi. "Crypto boy pe? But woh toh emotions mein bhi trading karta hai!"
"I know! Tabhi toh kuch bola nahi. Plus uska break up Natasha se..."
Suddenly, wardrobe ka door khud se thoda khula.
"Wind hogi," Kavya ne casually kaha, but dono thoda dari.
"Haan... wind..." Myra ne tarot deck nikala. "Ek reading karoon?"
[Aarav and Rehan - Room 9]
"Setup kaafi sick hai yaar!" Aarav cameras adjust kar raha tha. "3 angles se coverage milega."
Rehan laptop pe crypto charts check kar raha tha. "Bro, mansion ka WiFi 'MANSION_GUEST' hai but ek aur network show ho raha hai - 'ROOM_1975'. Password protected hai."
"Try kar common passwords."
"Kar raha hun... wait... 'THEYNEVERLEFT' se khul gaya!"
"Weird password hai," Aarav camera adjust karte hue bola.
"Bro, can I tell you something?" Rehan serious hua.
"Bol na."
"Myra tujhe pasand hai na?"
Aarav almost camera gira diya. "Kya? Nahi! I mean... maybe... it's complicated bro."
"Complicated ka matlab yes hota hai," Rehan smirked. "College se notice kar raha hun. Tu uske har lame tarot joke pe hasta hai."
"Shut up! Waise Kavya tere baare mein pooch rahi thi kal."
"Really?" Rehan interested hua, phir composed. "I mean... whatever."
"Bro tera 'whatever' ka face dekh," Aarav laughed. "But seriously, Natasha ke baad move on kar. 2 saal ho gaye."
"Easier said than done, yaar. Crypto mein loss recover kar sakta hun, relationships mein nahi."
Room mein AC nahi tha but suddenly temperature drop hua. Dono ki breath visible hone lagi.
"Ye kya ho raha hai?" Aarav ne camera uthaya.
Laptop screen pe charts ki jagah kuch aur show hone laga - old newspaper clipping:
"5 Students Found Dead in Lonavala Mansion - Police Suspect Mass Hysteria"
Date: November 13, 1975
"Bro..." Rehan screen dikhayi.
Before Aarav kuch bol pata, screen normal ho gayi.
[Zain - Room 7, Solo Gaming Setup]
"Perfect!" Zain ne gaming laptop, portable monitor, LED strips sab set up kar liye. Room corner mein tha, thoda isolated, but gaming ke liye perfect.
Phone pe Twitch chat check kiya:
"Horror stream when?"
"Bro haunted house mein Phasmophobia khelo"
"Temperature check karo EMF reader se"
Zain ne decide kiya test stream karne ka.
"What's up, gamers! Check kar rahe hain haunted mansion se stream quality!"
Chat explode ho gaya. 2000+ viewers aa gaye instantly.
Stream mein room tour dete time mirror capture hua. Chat crazy ho gaya:
"BEHIND YOU!"
"SOMEONE IN MIRROR!"
"BRO LOOK BACK!"
Zain ne peeche dekha - kuch nahi. Mirror check kiya - normal reflection.
"Guys chill! Lighting ka issue hoga."
But screenshot leke zoom kiya. Mirror mein uske peeche ek shadowy figure thi. Female. Long hair. White dress.
"What the..." Zain ne doobara mirror dekha. Nothing.
Phone buzz hua. Unknown number se message:
"Stop streaming. They don't like being watched."
"Pranks shuru ho gaye," Zain ne khud ko convince kiya.
[Dining Hall - 1:00 PM, Lunch Time]
Sab log massive dining table pe baithe the. Mrs. Sharma ne khaana serve kiya - dal, chawal, roti, sabzi, typical ghar ka khaana.
"Aunty aap akeli rehti hain yahan?" Myra ne politely poocha.
"Nahi beta, mere husband bhi hain. Woh maintenance dekhte hain."
"Aur koi staff?"
"Bas hum dono. Zyada log nahi tikte yahan."
Awkward silence.
"So guys," Aarav excitement change karne ke liye bola, "evening ka plan?"
"Pool side chill karte hain," Kavya suggested. "Podcast ke liye interviews bhi record kar lungi."
"Mere tarot live stream hai 4 PM ko," Myra added.
"Crypto market close hone tak busy hun," Rehan typical tha.
"Gaming tournament hai 6 PM ko," Zain focused tha.
"Toh 8 PM dinner, phir horror story session?" Aarav planned.
WhatsApp Group Chat During Lunch:
Myra: Ye aunty sus lag rahi hai
Kavya: +1, kuch chupa rahi hai definitely
Rehan: Dal mein kuch kaala hai, literally
Rehan: JK, dal tasty hai actually
Zain: Guys mirror thing batana tha...
Zain: Stream pe kuch weird dikha
Aarav: Baad mein baat karte hain
Aarav: Aunty dekh rahi hai phone
Mrs. Sharma indeed stare kar rahi thi, but smile ke saath.
[Pool Side - 3:00 PM]
Girls pool side pe baithi thi, legs paani mein. Boys thoda door pe content plan kar rahe the.
"Myra, sach bata, Aarav ko leke kya feel hai?" Kavya direct thi.
"Yaar... I don't know. Kabhi lagta hai there's something, kabhi lagta hai sirf main overthink kar rahi hun."
"Uske 2 million wale celebration video mein tune jo comment kiya tha - 'So proud of you ❤️' - woh friend wala heart nahi tha."
"Shut up!" Myra paani splash kari. "Waise Rehan tere DMs mein aaya?"
"Nahi yaar. Woh crypto ke alawa kisi cheez mein invest nahi karta."
"Maybe you need to show more interest? Market crash pe sympathy message bhej!"
Dono laugh karne lagi.
Pool ke paani mein reflection dikh rahi thi - but not theirs. Two different girls, same age, but dressed in 70s clothing. Myra ne notice kiya.
"Kavya... pool mein..."
But jab Kavya ne dekha, normal reflections thi.
"Kya?"
"Nothing... trick of light maybe."
[Boys Corner - Content Planning]
"Raat ko 3:33 AM pe definitely kuch karna hai," Aarav camera settings check karte hue bola.
"Bro, woh warnings?" Rehan concerned tha.
"Marketing hai sab! Real haunting thodi hoti hai," Aarav confident tha.
"Stream pe jo dikha..." Zain trail off kar gaya.
"Kya dikha?" Aarav curious hua.
Zain ne screenshot dikhaya. Sab quiet ho gaye.
"Photoshop?" Rehan hopefully poocha.
"Live stream tha bro."
"Koi prank kar raha hoga," Aarav ne rationalize kiya. "Content ke liye perfect hai though!"
Rehan ka phone buzz hua. Trading app notification:
"Unusual activity detected. Your portfolio dropped 13% in 13 seconds."
"What the hell!" Rehan frantically check karne laga.
Charts normal the. No drop. But notification real thi.
"Glitch hoga," Zain ne comfort kiya.
[Myra's Room - 4:00 PM, Tarot Live Stream]
"Hello beautiful souls! Aaj hum haunted mansion se live aa rahe hain!"
500+ viewers already. Myra purple lights on karke aesthetic setup banaya tha.
"First reading - Love life check for this month!"
Cards shuffle karte time, deck suddenly scattered ho gaya. Saare cards floor pe gir gaye.
"Oops! Butterfingers!" Myra laugh kar di viewers ke liye.
But jab cards uthaye, noticed ki saare cards same direction mein point kar rahe the - towards the mirror.
Chat going crazy:
"OMG mirror mein kuch hai!"
"Behind you Myra!"
"Is that a face?"
Myra ne nervously mirror ki taraf dekha. Khud ka reflection, but... thoda delayed? Like 2 second lag?
"Technical glitch hai guys!" Myra ne mirror cover kar diya dupatte se.
Stream suddenly end. Phone dead. But battery 67% thi.
[Evening - 6:00 PM]
Group WhatsApp:
Kavya: Guys, mera voice recorder acting weird
Kavya: Background mein whispers record ho rahe hain
Myra: Mera phone bhi randomly off hua stream ke time
Zain: Tournament haar gaya BC
Zain: Controls randomly opposite directions mein jane lage
Rehan: Market crash ka fake notification
Rehan: Kuch toh off hai yahan
Aarav: CONTENT GOLD HAI YE SAB!
Aarav: Document everything!
Myra: Tu serious nahi le raha
Aarav: Babe chill... I mean... Myra chill 😅
Kavya: BABE??? 👀
Myra: TYPO THA USKA
Rehan: Sure... typo 😏
[Dinner - 8:00 PM]
Mrs. Sharma ne special dinner banaya tha. But weird baat ye thi - 11 plates set thi. 5 guests + 2 (Mr. & Mrs. Sharma) = 7. Phir 11 kyun?
"Aunty, extra plates?" Kavya ne poocha.
"Oh... habit hai. Pehle zyada guests aate the," Mrs. Sharma quickly 4 plates hata di. But nervous lag rahi thi.
"1975 mein kitne students the?" Zain suddenly poocha.
Mrs. Sharma plate almost gira di. "K-kyun pooch rahe ho?"
"Research. Gaming video ke liye," Zain casual banne ki try kari.
"5 the. Aap logon jaise hi. Same age. Same... energy."
"Kya hua tha unke saath?" Kavya journalist mode on.
"Beta, khaana thanda ho raha hai. Khao pehle."
Topic clearly closed.
[Living Room - 10:00 PM, Horror Story Session]
Sab log fireplace ke around baithe the. Lights dim thi. Aarav camera set up kar raha tha.
"Toh shuru karte hain horror stories!" Aarav announced.
"Main start karti hun," Myra excited thi. "Ye real incident hai. Last month, ek client aayi thi reading ke liye. Cards shuffle karte time, Death card khud se flip ho gaya. Main ignore karke continue kari. But har reading mein Death card aa raha tha. Different decks try kiye, same result. Finally, frustrated hokar maine poocha - 'What do you want to tell me?' Suddenly, room cold ho gaya, aur card pe blood drops..."
"Stop!" Kavya interrupted. "Ye real hai?"
"Obviously nahi!" Myra laughed. "Story telling hai!"
But secretly, it was partially true. Blood drops nahi, but Death card wala incident hua tha.
Suddenly, lights flickered. Complete darkness for 3 seconds.
"Power issue?" Rehan torch on karte hue poocha.
Mrs. Sharma door pe appear hui. "11 baj gaye hain. You should rest. Tomorrow... tomorrow will be... intensive."
Way she said 'intensive' sent chills.
[Midnight - Everyone in their rooms]
Private chat: Aarav and Myra
Aarav: Soyi?
Myra: Nahi, neend nahi aa rahi
Aarav: Same. Wanna video call?
Myra: Kavya so rahi hai side mein
Aarav: Oh. Waise...
Aarav: Woh babe wala typo...
Aarav: Maybe it wasn't completely a typo?
Myra: Aarav... yahan ke beech mein ye sab?
Aarav: I know, timing kharab hai
Aarav: But I've been wanting to say...
Myra: Mujhe bhi...
Myra: But abhi nahi. Please.
Myra: After this trip?
Aarav: Promise. After this trip, we talk.
[1:00 AM]
Zain gaming kar raha tha headphones ke saath. Suddenly, game mein NPCs ne baatein karna shuru kiya:
"They came back."
"After 48 years."
"Same faces, different bodies."
"The cycle continues."
Zain ne game pause kiya. Ye dialogues is game mein nahi the.
Room 13 mein, Myra ke tarot cards bed pe scattered ho gaye the. Slowly, cards apne aap move hone lage. Ek specific pattern mein arrange ho rahe the. Pentagram.
Room 9 mein, Rehan ka laptop screen pe charts ki jagah photos aane lagi. Old, black and white. 5 students. But faces... familiar lag rahe the. Bahut familiar.
Kavya ke voice recorder automatically on hua. Recording start hui:
"Welcome back... we've been waiting... since 1975... you promised to return... promises must be kept..."
Aarav ka camera tripod gira. Lens crack ho gaya. Through cracked lens, room different dikh raha tha. Furniture same position mein, but decades old. Aur mirror mein...
Mirror mein 5 figures khade the. Watching. Waiting.
[2:30 AM]
Emergency Group Chat:
Zain: GUYS AWAKE?
Myra: Haan, kuch weird ho raha hai
Kavya: Mere recorder mein awaazein
Rehan: Photos dekho [Attached old photos]
Aarav: YE HUM KAISE HO SAKTE HAIN?
Myra: 1975... humari past life?
Zain: Bakwas mat karo
Kavya: Check karo time
Everyone: 3:32 AM
Myra: One minute to 3:33
Aarav: Sab apne rooms mein lock ho jao
Rehan: Door already locked hai
Rehan: But knob ghoom raha hai
Kavya: Yahan bhi
Zain: Footsteps outside
Myra: 30 seconds
Lights flickered. Phones glitched. Mirrors cracked.
[3:33 AM]
Complete silence. Then...
Knock. Knock. Knock.
On every door. Simultaneously.
And a whisper that everyone heard in their heads:
"Time to remember who you really are."
The Mansion was awake. The games had begun.
The past and present were about to collide.
[To Be Continued...]
Next Chapter: The first encounter. Past life memories surface. And someone... or something... makes contact.