AKHANDAM ANANTAM (PART 1)

I woke up, shivering. Despite the cold, I was drenched in sweat. My heart pounded as I slid off the bed and stepped into the corridor. The only light piercing the long, dark passage came from the moon, its silver glow filtering through a solitary, large window.

My feet moved, though my mind screamed to stop. It felt as if some unseen force was propelling me forward. Before I realized it, I stood in front of the room.

The Room.

A heavy sense of foreboding hung in the air. My hand clenched the doorknob. My sweaty palm slipped on its surface, but I managed to turn it. The door creaked open, revealing the dim interior.

A cracked mirror stood in front of me.

Suddenly, with a whoosh of wind, an apparition appeared within the fractured glass. A woman—so beautiful—reached out her hand. Beside her stood two children, their innocent faces brimming with warmth.

My wife. My kids.

I extended a trembling hand toward them, longing to touch them, to be with them again. But then, another whoosh of wind swept through the room.

Their forms flickered, transforming into grotesque, zombie-like figures. Blood streaked down their tattered bodies, mingling with a vicious, black liquid oozing from their open wounds. Their hollow, sunken eyes locked onto me, and their toothy grins sent a chill down my spine.

I yelled and bolted into the yard, gasping for air. The familiar surroundings were warped, distorted. Broken houses and uprooted trees stretched out in front of me.

I turned, desperate to flee back into the safety of my home. But where my proud ancestral house had once stood was now a decapitated building. Large chunks of the structure were missing, the ruins towering over me.

I yelled again, panic consuming me, and then—I sat bolt upright in bed.

Twilight filtered through the window, its warm orange glow swam in the room. My hands shook as I reached for my phone. With a trembling finger, I dialed Charak’s number. My best friend.

TO BE CONTINUED.......