#02. ROOM NO.07

Sunday morning. 7:30AM.

the head cooks arrived at the hostel kitchen, followed soon after by the rest of the kitchen staff.

by the time the heavy pots were rattling and the smell of breakfast filled the air, it was already 9:00AM.

one of the cooks paused, wiping his hands on his apron. "hey, have those boys from room 7 not woken up?"

a female kitchen assistant shrugged. "who knows? heaven knows how much they sleep."

the cook shook his head. "still... it's getting late. what kind of deep sleep is this?"

time crept forward.

suddenly, the clock struck 11:00am.

the assistant rushed back into the kitchen, looking uneasy. "brother, every single student in this hostel is up and eating. but those two from room 7? still no sign of them."

another assistent chimed in, her voice dropping to a whisper. "are we sure there's actually anyone even in that room right now?"

the head cook frowned, a sudden knot tightening in his stomach. "still not up?"

leaving the kitchen, he walked briskly down the corridor straight toward room7.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"hey! who's inside? wake up!" he called out, pounding on the heavy wood.

no response.

he knocked harder, his knuckles bruising against the door. "darshan?! chandu?! open the door, boys! how long are you going to sleep?!"

total silence from within.

"chandu! darshan!" he shouted, throwing his weight into the knocks. "it's eleven o'clock! get up!"

by now, a crowd of curious students and other staff members had gathered in the hallway. a tense, suffocating anxiety filled the air.

the head cook looked at the locked door, a chilling intution whispering in his mind: "something is terribly wrong!"

"move aside!" he barked. stepping back, he slammed his shoulder violently against the door. "chandu! darshan!"

gowtham rushed through the crowd, panic written all over his face. "what happened to them?! why isn't door opening?!"

without waiting for an answer, he threw his weight against the door alongside the head cook.

"one, two, three- shove!"

CRACK!

the lock gave away. the door burst open.

the head cook and gowtham stumbled inside, ready to yell- but the words froze instantly in their throats horror struck them rigid.

darshan and chandu were both lying in thier beds.

and both of them had their eyes wide open, their pupils rolled back completely into their skulls.

only lifeless, milky whites stared back at the ceiling.

"their... their eyes..." gowtham stammered, backing away in pure terror.

the hostel warden rushed in behind them. taking one look at the boys, his face drained of color. "call an ambulance! now!"

within thirty minutes, the boys were rushed to the district hospital under flashing red lights.

the hospital corridors were chaotic. the panicked weeping parents of both darshan and chandu had arrived, demanding answers.

but inside the private examination room, arun vijay the sharp city police inspector assigned to the case stood opposite Dr.meera, his expression grim.

"meera," arun said, crossing his arms. "what exactly are we looking at here?"

Dr.meera stared at the medical charts, looking deeply rattled. "to be honest, inspector... i don't even know how to explain this to you."

arun narrowed his eyes. "meaning?"

"if it were sleep paralysis, we could treat it," meera sighed, running a hand through her hair.

  "but their current body condition doesn't align with that at all. and if i tell you they are in coma.... well, scientifically, this has absolutely nothing to do with a coma."

arun's brow furrowed. "then what kind of medical problem is this?"

"i don't predict this," meera admitted, her voice trembling slightly.

"if they were in a coma, their brain activity would show they are unconcious. but their brains and all other vital organs are perfectly healthy. functioning normally. i'm at a complete loss, inspector."

arun stared at her, stunned.

meera looked away, whispering almost to herself. "it's like.... i don't know, it's like someone cast a spell or performed black magic on them. but obviously, i can't write that on a medical report. it's entirely new. i have no idea what happened to those two boys."

A spark of intense curiosity lit up in arun's eyes. this wasn't just medical anomaly. it was a case.

later that afternoon, inspector arun returned to the hostel to question the warden and kitchen staff.

"i've been the warden here for years, inspector," the warden said. "nothing like this has ever happened before. this is the very first time."

arun nodded, stepping inside room 7.  he carefully scanned the space, desks, the unmade beds, the window. searching for any clue, any sign of a struggle or toxic substance.

nothing. the room was perfectly ordinary.

arun turned to the head cook, who was standing by the doorway. "has anyone in this hostel ever suffered from a sudden illness or weird fit before?"

the head cook hesitated, shifting his weight uneasily. 

"definately not like this, sir. but... well, about six years ago, there was a student. he commited suicide right here in this hostel. sometimes... the staff wonders if his spirit is still lingering around here." he gave a nervous, hollow laugh.

arun didn't smile. "look, chief. there are no ghosts, evil spirits, or dark forces at play here. those things don't exist in the real world. do you have any actual reasons to suspect something else happened to them?"

"no,sir."

arun looked around the empty room one last time.

"but i can tell you one thing, something definitely happened to those boys inside this room, and it's not what you think. i'm going to find out exactly what it is. anyway.... thank you for your time."

"of course, sir."

"if anything else comes up, or if you remember anything unusual from last night, call me immediately."

"we will, inspector."

arun turned and walked out of the hostel, his mind racing.

late that night, inside arun's private office.

the case detailes and files spread across his desk under a harsh desk lamp. he stared at the whiteboard, but his mind was replying the day's conversation.

"it is literally new, i can't predict it!, it's like black magic...."  Dr. meera's frustrated voice echoed in his head.

"maybe it's that boy's spirit, sir..." the cook's fearfull theory chimed in.

arun tapped his pen against his chin, his eyes reflecting the sharp light.

"this case is incredibly strange," he thought.

  "instead of aligning with medical science, every single factual clue is pointing toward paranormal. what really happened to those boys? what is the hidden force behind this?"

a cold determination washed over him. "i don't care what it is. i am going to crack it!"

leaning forward, arun picked up a red marker and began connecting photos, timelines, and clues on his wall, creating a massive, sprawling roadmap of the mystery.

TO BE CONTINUED......