The basement felt colder than before. Naina carefully folded Anika's note and slipped it into her pocket. The words written on it repeated in her mind again and again.
The truth is hidden in Lab Room 3.
Aarav rubbed his hands nervously. "I really don't like this," he whispered. "There's already someone in the building."
Naina looked toward the staircase. The silence above them felt heavy.
"We've come this far," she said quietly. "If Anika left that message, it means she wanted someone to find the truth."
Aarav sighed.
"You always say things that make it impossible to say no."
They slowly moved toward the basement door and pushed it open carefully. The old metal hinges creaked softly.
Both of them froze for a moment, listening.
No footsteps.
No voices.
Only silence.
Naina turned the flashlight back on and they began climbing the staircase slowly, step by step.
When they reached the top, they stopped again.
The hallway of the old science building was dark and empty.
But something felt different now.
The building didn't feel abandoned anymore.
It felt like someone was hiding somewhere inside.
Aarav looked around nervously. "Lab Room 3 should be down that corridor," he whispered.
Naina nodded.
They walked quietly down the hallway, trying not to make any noise on the dusty floor. The beam of Naina's flashlight moved across broken desks and old lockers along the wall.
Finally they reached a door with a faded metal sign.
LAB ROOM 3
The door was closed.
Naina slowly reached for the handle.
For a second she hesitated.
Then she pushed it open.
The door creaked loudly.
Both of them stepped inside.
The lab looked old and messy. Glass beakers and tubes were scattered across the tables. Dust covered almost everything in the room.
But one area looked different.
In the far corner of the lab, a table was completely clean.
Too clean.
Someone had been using it recently.
Naina moved closer.
On the table were several papers, a laptop, and a small locked metal box.
Aarav looked around the room nervously. "This definitely isn't an abandoned lab."
Naina picked up one of the papers.
It looked like a research report.
At the top of the page were the words:
Project Alpha – Confidential
Below that were several lines of technical information she didn't fully understand.
But one sentence caught her attention.
Experiment requires student subjects for observation.
Naina felt a chill.
"Student subjects?" she whispered.
Aarav read over her shoulder. "That sounds really wrong."
Naina quickly checked the other papers.
Some of them listed student names.
Some names had check marks next to them.
Others had question marks.
Then Naina saw something that made her stop breathing for a moment.
One of the names on the list was Anika.
And another name had just been written below it recently.
Naina.
Aarav looked at the paper and went pale.
"Why is your name there?"
Before Naina could answer, a sudden noise came from behind them.
The lab door slowly closed with a loud click.
Both of them turned around quickly.
Standing in the doorway was the tall man they had seen in the photograph.
The same man who had searched the basement.
He smiled slightly.
"Well," he said calmly, "I was wondering when you two would find this room."
Naina felt fear rush through her body.
The man stepped fully into the room and locked the door behind him.
"You're very curious," he continued. "Just like Anika was."
Aarav stepped slightly in front of Naina.
"What happened to her?" he demanded.
The man's smile disappeared.
"She asked too many questions."
He slowly walked closer to them.
"And now," he said quietly, "so have you."
If you want.