BOUND TO THE RED EYES ALPHA

Riya- Alpha Meetup

When Riya finally regained consciousness, she found herself lying on the bed. Jolting upright, she gasped, "Where did he go?"

"Mam, who are you talking about?" the caretaker asked.

"That strange boy with the red eyes!" Riya exclaimed. "He looked completely unnatural, and his eyes were glowing so brightly. His body posture, his entire physique—everything about him was so abnormal! He was just standing there, staring at me continuously."

"Mam, there is no such boy here," the caretaker replied calmly.

Riya immediately asked for her phone and quickly checked for signal. To her relief, the network bar flashed back on. Driven by sheer panic, she dialed Sita Mam's number right away—but no one picked up.

"Mam isn't picking up her phone," Riya panicked. "And this place is giving me the creepiest feeling... I've actually seen this exact house in my dreams before!"

"Mam, it's possible that everything you're experiencing is because of this place itself," the caretaker confessed solemnly. "I should probably tell you the truth about this town. Now that evening has set in, things naturally turn strange here. The locals say this area was hit with a curse. That is why such eerie figures appear."

He paused, looking at her gravely. "It starts at twilight and lasts until sunrise—these strange beings wander around all night. I strongly advise you not to step outside under any circumstances. Don't even go near the balcony, and whatever you do, don't look outside."

"We have to keep her held up here until Sita Mam's work is complete," the caretaker added. "Those were the exact instructions she gave us to follow.”

Night fell, and Riya stood in front of the mirror, talking to her reflection.

"I have to believe in myself and stop being so terrified," she urged herself. "Whoever or whatever that was, I'll deal with it later. Right now, I just need to focus on this survey. If only I had told my friends about all this, everything would be sorted by now... Trying to figure this out without them is going to be so tough."

A short while later, dinner arrived. Mr. Sharma knocked gently on the door.

"Mam, may I come in?" he called out.

"Yes, Uncle, please come in," Riya replied.

"I've brought your dinner, Mam," Mr. Sharma said, setting the tray down. "I hope you enjoy this dish. It's a local specialty, perfect for the night."

"Thank you so much, Uncle, you really didn't have to go through all this trouble," Riya said warmly.

"Just show me where the kitchen is next time, and I'll prepare my own breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"What are you saying, Mam?" Mr. Sharma protested gently. "Why would you cook when I'm here?"

"It's no trouble at all, Uncle—I actually enjoy cooking!"

"Still, Mam, I'll handle the meals," Mr. Sharma insisted, his tone softening with concern. "You just focus on your work and try to leave this place as quickly as you can."

"You're right, Uncle," Riya admitted with a quiet sigh. "This place is so strange... Do you happen to know anything about what's going on here?"

"No, Mam, I don't know much," Mr. Sharma replied, looking at her with genuine worry. "I just want to say that this place isn't safe for you. You are a really good person, and I truly just want you to stay safe and happy."

Saying just that, Mr. Sharma stepped out of the room. Riya ate her dinner and turned in for the night.

When she woke up the next morning, a wave of deep relief washed over her.

"I guess I was just exhausted yesterday," Riya murmured to herself, feeling vastly refreshed. "That's probably why everything felt so incredibly strange. I feel so much better now... and I actually slept like a log last night."

Riya headed to the washroom to take a shower. Before going inside, she called out toward the door, "Uncle, if Sita Mam calls, please connect her to me! I'm going for a shower now, so please make some breakfast. I have work to get to afterward."

As soon as Riya stepped out after her shower, she froze—that same strange boy was standing right there in her room. Before she could scream, he darted forward and clapped his hand over her mouth.

"Hey, my name is Kabir. Don't panic," he said urgently. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Terrified, tears began streaming down Riya's face.

"Please don't cry," Kabir sighed awkwardly. "I don't really have emotional feelings, so I don't know how to comfort you. I don't understand humans... and honestly, girls are impossible to understand anyway."

"Mmmph! Mmmph!" Riya muffled under his grip.

He slowly withdrew his hand. "I only covered your mouth like that because I had to, but I didn't mean to scare you."

"Who sneaks into a girl's room like this?!" Riya snapped, trembling with rage and fear. "And who on earth are you to just barge into my room?"

"Look, Human," Kabir said, his tone turning deadly serious. "I only came here to warn you to get out of this place. The rest is up to you. This town looks peaceful, but it isn't. This is Devgarh—you have no idea what you're dealing with.”

Kabir didn't waste any more time talking. Just then, the sound of Mr. Sharma's footsteps echoed as he came up the stairs. He knocked on the door and called out, "Mam, may I come in?"

Realizing he had to leave, Kabir moved swiftly and vanished in a flash before anyone could spot him.

Riya stood there a moment, an odd mix of irritation and curiosity swirling in her chest. There was something about him — something that pulled at her in a way she couldn't explain, like her body recognized him even though her mind didn't.

That night, she found herself glancing toward the forest again before closing her curtains. And somewhere deep in the trees, though she couldn't have known it, Kabir stood in the darkness, fighting the same pull, telling himself the same thing he always told himself.

She's human. She has to stay away.

But some part of him — the part that had gone still and alert the moment he first saw her — already knew that wasn't going to be easy.

Riya stood frozen, her mind racing. Why did Kabir come here? And why did he say he doesn't talk much to "humans"?

She was genuinely shaken, completely at a loss as to how to react. Choosing to keep quiet, she didn't mention a word to Mr. Sharma or anyone else. Instead, she resolved to uncover the truth herself: who was this Kabir, and why was he speaking like that? There was definitely a secret haunting this town and its people. Could Kabir be the one behind it—changing his appearance to terrify everyone?

Something about him was fundamentally wrong. She didn't believe in ghosts—ghosts weren't real, after all—but Kabir certainly didn't seem human either. Nothing about him felt human—neither his posture nor the structure of his face. He seemed like some strange creature... almost like an alien.