THE FIFTH TIMELINE
1116 Words
For several seconds, Aarav and Kabir stood completely still on the empty platform. The sound of the train had disappeared into the darkness, leaving behind a silence that felt unnatural. Aarav kept staring at the tunnel where it had vanished. His father's voice was still echoing in his mind.
Don't let them find the fifth timeline.
Kabir finally broke the silence. “Aarav, tell me you heard that too.”
Aarav nodded slowly. “I heard him.”
“But your father is at home.”
“I know.”
“Then how did his voice come from that train?”
Aarav had no answer.
Mira walked toward the edge of the platform and looked into the darkness. “We have to get out of here.”
Aarav turned toward her. “You said this place was destroyed.”
“It was.”
“Then where are we?”
Mira looked at the empty tracks. “I don't know.”
Aarav pulled the black watch from his pocket. The screen still displayed:
TIMELINE 05 — FOUND
He turned it over in his hand. “You said there were only three timelines.”
“There were.”
“Then explain this.”
Mira stared at the watch but didn't touch it.
“I can't.”
Aarav became frustrated. “You always say that.”
“I know.”
“You knew about the Gate. You knew about my father. You knew about the other Aaravs. Now we're standing in a timeline that supposedly shouldn't exist, and you still expect me to trust you.”
Mira looked at him for a long moment.
“You shouldn't trust me.”
Aarav was surprised by the answer.
“Then why are you helping us?”
“Because I don't trust myself either.”
Before Aarav could respond, every light on the platform switched on at once.
The sudden brightness made all three of them shield their eyes.
When Aarav looked again, something had changed.
The station was no longer empty.
People were standing everywhere.
Hundreds of them.
Passengers waited beside the tracks. Some were reading newspapers. Others were talking to each other. A child was holding his mother's hand. A man was checking his watch.
Everything looked completely normal.
Except nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody blinked.
Aarav slowly stepped backward.
“What happened?”
Mira whispered, “Don't touch anyone.”
Kabir looked around nervously. “Why?”
“Because they aren't people.”
Aarav looked at the nearest passenger.
The man's face was familiar.
It was the same man from the photograph.
The one who had been watching him.
Aarav stepped closer.
The man's eyes suddenly moved.
Aarav froze.
The man turned his head.
Then he smiled.
“Welcome back.”
Aarav stepped backward.
The man's voice echoed across the entire station.
One by one, the other passengers turned toward Aarav.
Hundreds of faces stared at him.
Then they all spoke at the same time.
“We've been waiting for you.”
The lights went out.
Kabir grabbed Aarav's arm.
“Run!”
They sprinted down the platform.
Behind them, footsteps began echoing through the station.
Aarav didn't look back.
They reached a staircase and rushed upward. Mira followed close behind them. When they reached the top, Aarav pushed open a door.
They stepped outside.
Aarav stopped.
The city looked familiar.
But it wasn't his city.
The buildings were taller. Strange vehicles moved silently along the roads. Huge screens covered the sides of buildings, displaying dates and information that made no sense.
Kabir stared at the street.
“What year is it?”
Aarav looked at one of the screens.
OCTOBER 14, 2041
He felt dizzy.
“2041.”
Kabir's face went pale.
“We jumped fifteen years?”
Mira shook her head.
“No.”
She pointed toward a large digital billboard.
A photograph of Aarav appeared on the screen.
Underneath it were the words:
MISSING SINCE AUGUST 26, 2026.
Aarav stared at his own face.
Then the screen changed.
A second photograph appeared.
This one showed him much older.
The caption read:
AARAV MEHTA — CREATOR OF THE MERIDIAN GATE.
Aarav couldn't move.
“That's impossible.”
Mira stared at the screen.
“No,” she whispered. “It's worse than that.”
“What?”
She pointed at the bottom of the screen.
A message was appearing letter by letter.
THE CREATOR HAS RETURNED.
Kabir looked at Aarav.
“You're the creator?”
Aarav shook his head.
“I've never built anything like that.”
Mira looked at him carefully.
“Not yet.”
Aarav's phone suddenly rang.
He looked at the screen.
There was no number.
Just a name.
DAD
He answered.
“Hello?”
For several seconds, there was silence.
Then his father's voice spoke.
“You found the fifth timeline.”
Aarav's eyes widened.
“Dad? Where are you?”
“I've been trying to find you.”
“Are you in this timeline?”
“No.”
“Then where?”
His father took a slow breath.
“I'm in the original one.”
Aarav looked at Mira.
She had gone completely pale.
“Can you bring me back?” Aarav asked.
His father didn't answer.
“Dad?”
Finally, his father said, “I can bring you back.”
Aarav relaxed.
Then his father's voice became quieter.
“But I need you to do something first.”
“What?”
“You have to destroy the fifth timeline.”
The call ended.
Aarav lowered the phone.
Kabir stared at him.
“What did he say?”
Aarav looked toward the enormous city surrounding them.
“He wants us to destroy this timeline.”
Mira shook her head immediately.
“We can't.”
“Why?”
“Because this isn't just another timeline.”
She pointed toward the black watch.
“This is where the Gate came from.”
Aarav looked down at the watch.
The screen changed again.
TIMELINE 05 — ORIGINAL
His heart began pounding.
The fifth timeline wasn't a new reality.
It was the first.
The one everything else had been built from.
Then a shadow appeared across the street.
Someone was standing beneath a streetlight.
Aarav recognized him immediately.
It was his older self.
But this version looked different from the others.
He wasn't frightened.
He wasn't tired.
He was smiling.
He slowly raised his hand and pointed at Aarav.
Then he said:
“You finally remembered.”
Aarav felt a chill run through him.
“Remembered what?”
The older Aarav smiled.
“That you created all of us.”
The city lights suddenly went dark.
And somewhere far away, a clock struck 11:47.
TO BE CONTINUED…
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