"We're getting late",
"I truly hate the 8am classes",
"It's noon already"
Ishank wakes up awestruck. Although by now, this is not uncommon in the dorm for Ishan to find his roommate in such a mess.
"You're gonna get detained sure enough",
"Ah, I don't know about it. I think I deserve a day off, engineering breaks you up man",
"I major in Electrical brother; Computer science is smooth as butter"
Ishank utilizes all his might and gets up from the bed. They both were already late for their 1pm class, as a result, both hurriedly took the stairs.
Ishan is a tall and bulky man with a light beard and great physique. He is a little chubby but a powerhouse. He has been weightlifting since he was half his height.
"Where are the two of you running to?", said Pratyush in a quirky voice.
"Relativity has been hard, I can't miss any class", Ishan exclaimed
Pratyush is a man of culture, nothing gets out of his eyes. Playing video games has made him observant to every little detail. He is a good-looking young man with a lean physique and a height of 5'7.
"Haven't you heard?", Pratyush asked
Ishank and Ishan looked at each other, confused and rethinking.
"There is a modelling show going on in BR Auditorium, we can't miss it"
Disappointed, Ishan heads to the Lecture Hall Complex for his classes however, Ishank joins Pratyush.
This day wasn't normal, something was off, something in the air, in the sky, on the roads, it wasn't adding up. Pratyush stops midway on the road,
"There is something wrong",
(?)
"There is no one around",
They both looked around, the road was empty, not even a single bird could be seen throughout the range. It seemed like a fortress of solitude. The silence was disturbing. The campus, usually a house of chaos due to being filled with hundreds of students, now soaks in a blanket of peace. In an unnerving voice Ishank said,
"Maybe, there's an event around"
"I couldn't dial up my family this morning. I thought it was a network error. I can't believe it but...",
"ISHANK.., PRATYUSH..,"
They both look around and see Anirudh sprinting towards them in half torn clothes and wounds all over his body. The sound of his sprinting is clearly audible due to the silence around. The tall buildings and trees seem to be surrounded by a glaze of agony. They both run up to Anirudh.
"We need to return, as quickly as possible", said Anirudh while not being able to hold his breath together.
"Wh-Wh-What happened to you?", asked Pratyush
"Who did this to you, I am not letting him go easy?", Ishank exclaimed
"I will tell you everything once I make sure we are somewhere safe, we need to collect everyone we know and stay together"
Ishank and Pratyush look towards each other with their mouth open in disbelief. Ishank feels bad after seeing his friend in such a condition and moves forward to observe the wounds. On the other hand, Pratyush sense something wrong in the environment. His suspicion slowly turning into reality.
Anirudh is admired to be one of the best athletes in Delhi. His sprinting abilities are unmatched. He has a quick, stormy and aggressive approach towards matters that concern him. He is a tall and well-built young man with a heavy voice.
"Ishan went towards the LHC a while back, didn't he?", said Pratyush while trying to hold back the fear in his voice.
Ishank nods diligently and without saying a word, all the three of them start heading towards their friend.
The enormous lecture hall complex stood like a mountain in front of them. LHC was a tall building with close to thirty floors. Wind was blowing resulting in rustling of leaves under the blast of sunlight. The LHC seemed dull, dark and empty. It appeared like a void of mysteries.
"Finally, we reached here, let's not delay a bit and head inside", Ishank said
The three of them head inside cautiously, not knowing what they feared, but their heart pounded fast, the deeper they went in. Although they were moving in inorder to reunite with Ishan but their inner instincts were advising them to stand their ground and not move even a step in.
"Time to get separated and look for him so that we can get this off our chest as soon as possible", said Anirudh while turning back heading to the basement.
"Probably a bad idea, we should stick together", Pratyush interfered
"I agree, at a time like this...", Ishank was interrupted with a high pitched but soft roar from the end of the long hallway. The boys were standing midway of the long hallway where the lights flickered on and off. The multiple rooms on each side sounded empty and deserted.
(chk..chk...chk)
The boys were standing at the intersection of the gate, stairs and the two sided hallway. They looked at each other with eyes wide open. It felt like the horrors from their dreams had come out alive. Shivers went down everybody's body as the roaring slowly begins to approach them. The sound came from behind a wall at the end of the long hallway of the ground floor.
Anirudh and Pratyush slowly stepped back inside one of the empty halls without uttering a single ick.
As they stepped inside and closed the door, they realized
"Why isn't Ishank with us?", Anirudh asked in a soft but irritated voice.
"I don't know, my senses were jammed after hearing that hell of a voice",
"What the hell"
Meanwhile, Ishank hid in his neighbouring restroom after panicking. While hiding behind a closed door, Ishank thought
(What was that voice? That cannot be made by anything created by God. I am stuck in a shithole.)
(creakkk.......)
"Is it Pratyush?, Who else must have opened the door", Ishank thought by himself trying to keep his wits together.
(click-clomp-click-clomp-click-clomp)
Footsteps started approaching him. Ishank shrunk back in fear.
"Th-Th-There must be something I can use to defend myself"
Ishank picked up a viper in one of his hand while holding the door knob with the other.
Footsteps suddenly stop in front of the door. There is a momentary silence in the room.
(creakkkk...) The door slams open
"What are You doing Here?"
Ishank opens his eyes and looks up.
"Ishan? We are here to find you", Ishank shouts in joy
"Something doesn't seem right, I went on and checked a few rooms when I heard screeches and ran up to here, I was hiding in this restroom"
"We need to leave; I know where Anirudh and Pratyush are"
Without wasting a split-second, the group reunited in the lecture hall.
"It's time now, tell me what you know Anirudh", Pratyush said
"I am not sure but I have a slight idea. We are not safe. I don't recall why I am in this rigged clothing but what I recall is..."
The hall door begins to move; the boys shut their mouth quickly and hide under the tables. Meanwhile, Ishank is still carrying the viper in his hand.
The door slams open.
"What are you doing here?"
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