The corridor breathed.
Aarav could feel it now.
Not just see it.
Not just hear it.
It was alive.
Every door.
Every wall.
Every inch of that place was watching him.
Waiting.
"Choose."
The voice echoed again.
Deeper.
Closer.
Inside his head.
Aarav clenched his fists.
"…there has to be a way to know which one is right…"
No answer.
Of course not.
The rules were clear.
There were no hints.
No guides.
No second chances.
Aarav swallowed hard and stepped forward.
The doors stretched endlessly.
Identical.
Black.
Silent.
But the closer he walked—
The more they changed.
Some had faint scratches.
Some had marks.
Some felt… colder.
Others—
Felt like something was moving behind them.
Aarav stopped in front of one door.
It looked normal.
Too normal.
No marks.
No scratches.
Just smooth black wood.
"…this one…"
He reached out slowly.
His fingers hovered over the handle.
His heart pounded violently.
"Think… think…"
Rule one.
Every door is a life.
Rule two.
You replace the one inside.
Rule three.
It chooses.
"…what if this is the right one…"
His hand trembled.
"What if I can just go back…"
Back to his room.
Back to normal.
Back to reality.
Behind him—
The corridor whispered.
"Open it…"
Aarav shut his eyes.
Took a deep breath.
And—
He opened the door.
Darkness.
For a second—
Nothing.
Then—
Light.
Aarav stepped inside.
It was a street.
Empty.
Silent.
Familiar.
Aarav looked around slowly.
"…this place…"
It looked like his neighborhood.
Same buildings.
Same road.
Same layout.
But—
No people.
No sound.
No life.
Everything felt… paused.
Aarav walked forward slowly.
"Hello…?"
No answer.
His footsteps echoed unnaturally loud.
The air felt thick.
Heavy.
Wrong.
Then—
He saw it.
At the end of the street.
A figure.
Standing still.
Facing away from him.
Aarav's chest tightened.
"…hey!"
No response.
The figure didn't move.
Didn't react.
Just stood there.
Aarav walked closer.
Step by step.
Slow.
Careful.
His heart pounded louder with each step.
"Hey… I'm talking to you…"
Still nothing.
He was close now.
Close enough to reach out.
His hand lifted—
And touched the figure's shoulder.
Cold.
Too cold.
The figure stopped.
Then—
Slowly—
It turned.
Aarav's breath stopped.
His entire body froze.
Because—
It was him.
Again.
But this one—
Was different.
Its face was blank.
No emotion.
No fear.
No life.
Just… empty.
"…what are you…?" Aarav whispered.
The other Aarav stared at him.
Unblinking.
Silent.
Then—
It spoke.
Flat.
Lifeless.
"You chose wrong."
Aarav's heart dropped.
"What—"
Before he could react—
The world shifted.
The sky darkened instantly.
The buildings cracked.
The ground beneath him trembled.
Aarav stumbled back.
"What's happening—?!"
The other Aarav smiled.
Slowly.
Unnaturally.
That same smile.
The one from the door.
"You weren't supposed to come here."
Aarav's chest tightened.
"No… no, I can leave—"
He turned—
The door.
The exit.
Gone.
"No…"
His breathing turned frantic.
"No, no, NO—!"
The other Aarav stepped closer.
"You replaced me."
Aarav shook his head violently.
"I didn't—!"
"Yes."
Another step.
Closer.
"You opened the door."
Another.
"You came inside."
Another.
"And now…"
It leaned in close.
Its voice dropped to a whisper.
"You stay."
Aarav tried to run.
But his body didn't move.
His legs felt heavy.
Frozen.
Like the ground was holding him.
The air changed.
The same feeling—
From before.
From the walls.
From the corridor.
Something was watching.
The other Aarav stepped back.
Slowly.
Smiling.
"Don't worry…"
It said softly.
"You'll understand soon."
The world began to distort.
The buildings twisted.
The street stretched unnaturally.
The sky cracked open.
Aarav screamed—
"LET ME OUT!"
Silence.
Then—
A knock.
KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK
Aarav froze.
His breath stopped.
Slowly…
He looked down.
The sound—
Was coming from inside his chest.
KNOCK… KNOCK… KNOCK
His heartbeat.
No—
Something else.
Something inside him.
The other Aarav smiled wider.
"It started."
Aarav's vision blurred.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
"…what… started…?"
The answer came from everywhere.
From the sky.
From the ground.
From inside him.
"The replacement."
Darkness swallowed everything.