Chapter 2: Not Alone Anymore
1999 Words
SNAP.
Silence fell.
“This sound…” everyone whispered.
“This is what I heard before coming here…”
The Kind that pressed against the ears.
The SNAP faded, but the echo of it stayed, crawling through the stone walls like a memory refusing to die.
The surrounded Lantern flames flickered.
Everyone got stumbed for a while
Yatra stood frozen, his heart pounding so loud he was sure everyone else could hear it. The ticking sound—the one from his dream—was gone now. But the feeling remained. As if something had just… locked into place.
Noah broke the silence first.
“Okay,” he said slowly, rubbing his arms. “I officially don’t like this place.”
Max nodded, standing closer to Lyna. “This doesn’t feel random.”
Arthur glanced down the hallway. “Nothing about this feels normal.”
Jiro cracked his knuckles nervously. “If this is hell, I want a refund.”
No one laughed.
Then—
Footsteps.
Not clear.
But present.
Somewhere far away.
Somewhere Else in the Place
Maya woke up with her face pressed against cold stone.
She groaned softly and pushed herself up.
“Ow… okay… that’s not my bed.”
Her voice echoed—too much.
She froze.
Echoes meant big spaces.
Big spaces meant trouble.
She hugged her knees and looked around.
Tall pillars stretched upward into darkness. The ceiling was too high to see. Lanterns hung along the walls, glowing weakly, like they were tired of burning.
“This is not funny,” she muttered. “If this is a prank, I’m suing someone.”
A soft sound came from behind her.
Footsteps.
Maya turned sharply. “Hello?”
A lady stood a few steps away.
She looked just as confused.
Sharp eyes scanning everything.
They stared at each other.
“…You real?” Lady asked.
The Maya blinked. “You first.”
Maya exhaled. “Okay, good. I’m not hallucinating.”
The lady relaxed slightly. “That makes two of us.”
They moved closer—but not too close.
“Name?” Maya asked.
“Eve,” the lady replied. “You?”
“Maya.”
They stood there awkwardly for a second.
Then both spoke at once.
“Do you know where we are?”
They paused.
Eve rubbed her forehead. Last thing I remember—I was walking. Then i woke up here.
Maya’s expression darkened. “Same.”
They looked around again.
“This place feels old,” Maya said. “Not abandoned. Just… waiting.”
Eve nodded slowly. “Like it’s breathing.”
That sentence made both of them uncomfortable.
“Let’s not stand here,” Maya said quickly. “I don’t like empty spaces.”
They started walking.
Their footsteps echoed too loudly.
Every shadow looked like it could move.
“Do you think we’re alone?” Eve asked.
“I really hope not,” Maya replied. Being trapped with people is scary.
They turned a corner—
And stopped.
Far a way they heard Voices.
Maya grabbed Eve’s arm. “You heard that?”
Eve nodded.
They moved slowly toward the sound.
On the way, they heard strange voices. As they followed the sound, they noticed a wallet lying on the floor. Eve picked it up and continued moving toward the voices.
The First Meeting of Eve and Maya
Yatra was mid-sentence when Noah interrupted.
Sh-sh-sh
“Did you hear that?”
Everyone went silent.
Footsteps approaching.
Lyna hold yatra hand tightly.
Yatra raised a hand. “Stay back.”
From the shadows, two figures emerged.
Two women's.
Both looked startled.
Noah blinked. “Okay… not demons.”
Maya raised her hands. We’re not attacking. Just… lost.”
Yatra stepped forward carefully. “We are too.”
Introductions followed—names exchanged, glances studied.
Maya tilted her head. So… none of you know where this is either?
Arthur shook his head. I woke up here.
Jiro crossed his arms. I still think this place is cursed.
Maya snorted despite herself. Great. Cursed place. Love that for us.
Eve looked around. How many people are here now?
Yatra counted quietly. Eight. Including you two.
That’s… a lot, Maya said.
“And still not not enough,” Eve murmured, Why are we here? Does anyone know the reason?
There was a long silence. One by one, everyone shook their heads. No, they all said, unwilling or unable to answer.
Then they started walking together.
Talking filled the silence small things, safe things.
Where they were from.
What they were doing before.
No one mentioned fear directly.
But everyone felt it.
Jiro tried to speak casually, but his voice trembled despite his effort. So… uh… maybe it’s just our imagination. Dark places always mess with people’s heads, right? He laughed softly, though everyone knew he was talking only to hide his fear.
Eve glanced at him and sighed. “Okay, okay… calm down. We know. We’re scared too.” Her words were gentle, but her eyes kept moving, watching the shadows.
Again, silence fell.
Then something sounded from far away. A dull thud. As if an object had fallen and rolled across the floor.
Everyone froze.
Lyna lifted her head suddenly. “That sound—did you hear it?” Her voice dropped. “It came from … not far.”
Arthur called out cautiously, “Is anyone there? We though... you people were there.”
Eve swallowed. “We’re not alone here.” She hesitated, then added, “I found a wallet over there earlier. That means more people are here.”
Maya turned sharply to her. “Wait… that’s what you picked up from the floor? I thought it was yours. I thought you dropped it.”
Eve shook her head. “No. It’s not mine. I didn’t tell you because you were already scared. I didn’t want to make it worse.”
Noah frowned. “A wallet doesn’t just appear.”
Yatra nodded slowly. “Which means whoever dropped it… might still be nearby.”
Jiro forced another weak smile. “Great. So now we have an invisible audience.”
No one replied. Their eyes moved toward the darkness, all of them silently wondering the same thing—who else was here, and were they watching?
The Third Stranger
After hearing the sound, they all knew one thing for sure—someone else was there. Without saying much, they moved toward the direction it came from.
But when they reached the spot, there was no one.
Only a few coins lay scattered across the floor.
Max pointed at them. “Look… there are some coins here.”
Before anyone could react, Jiro quickly bent down, picked them up,“Might be useful,” he said casually.
They moved forward again—but this time, the feeling changed.
Someone was following them.
The man who had dropped the coins watched from a distance. Realizing they were getting closer, he quietly hid himself. After a while, the group reached the area and stopped.
“No one’s here,” Maya said.
“Then where did they go?” Eve asked.
All their conversation was heard by the hidden man. He frowned to himself.
So… they’re like me, he thought. They also came here without knowing how. But are they good—or is this a trap to catch me?
After listening for a while, he made a decision.
I’ll go to them.
At the same moment, Yatra suddenly slowed his steps. In a low voice, he said, “Someone’s watching us.”
Everyone froze.
“Who?” Eve whispered.
Jiro suddenly shouted, “Hey! Someone is watching us! From where!”
Noah shot him a sharp look. “Be quiet!” Then, turning to Yatra, he asked softly, “Where is he hiding?”
“I’m not sure,” Yatra replied. “But he’s behind us.”
The man sighed. They found me… better I go now.
He stepped out from behind them, acting calm. “Hey… how did you all come here?”
Yatra narrowed his eyes. “Then why were you hiding from us?”
Before the man could reply, Eve looked down at the wallet in her hand—and froze. She opened it and saw the photo.
“Yatra… this wallet belongs to him.”
Yatra held it up. “This is yours, right?”
The man’s eyes widened. “Yes… that’s my wallet. Where did you get it?”
Lyna asked quietly, “Then why was your wallet on the floor?”
He shook his head quickly. “I didn’t drop it. I don’t even know how I came here. When I woke up, I heard a noise. Someone hit the back of my head and took my wallet. Later, I heard your voices… that’s when I followed you.”
Jiro nodded. “So that’s why you were hiding from us.”
But as he finished speaking, Yatra exchanged a quick glance with Arthur.
They both felt it.
He’s lying.
He must have dropped the wallet by mistake, Yatra thought. He’s acting.
Jiro smiled and asked, “So… what’s your name?”
“I’m Tony. And you all?”
They introduced themselves one by one. But Yatra and Arthur remained alert—both feeling Tony was hiding something.
Max spoke next. “Okay… now we’re nine people here. But it still feels like someone else is around.”
Maya looked uneasy. “I don’t know why, but I feel like more people are stuck here.”
Eve nodded. “This place is huge. We haven’t searched it completely.”
They moved forward again, talking quietly.
Then
SNAP.
Everyone stopped.
“What was that again?” Maya whispered.
SNAP.
Tony’s face went pale. “This… this is the sound I heard last time. After that, I woke up here.”
Jiro forced a nervous laugh. “Great. So the place itself is snapping now. What’s next—clapping?”
No one laughed.
Yatra stood still, his mind racing. He tried to connect every scene from the moment they entered this place.
Arthur did the same.
Neither of them spoke but both noticed something was wrong.
Lyna looked at Yatra. “What happened?”
“No… nothing,” Yatra replied. “I was just thinking about everything—from the beginning.”
Arthur glanced at him and thought, You’re thinking the same thing as me.
Max asked, “Did you find anything, Yatra?”
Yatra shook his head. Nothing clear.
Noah exhaled slowly. “Okay… let’s move. We’ll see what happens next.”
And somewhere in the darkness
The sound waited to snap again.
The Second SNAP
The second SNAP sent panic through everyone.
“What is this place?” Noah shouted. Fear crept into every voice.
They moved toward the sound again. As they walked, Arthur frowned and said, “Doesn’t it feel strange? We don’t feel anything—no sense of day or night. How did this even happen?”
Lyna looked around, forcing herself to stay calm. “We have to find the reason,” she said quietly. “And get out of here as soon as possible.”
Jiro rubbed his stomach nervously. “Yeah… because I’m already getting hungry.”
Yatra glanced at Lyna. “Don’t say you’re hungry,” he said softly. “I don’t know what kind of food exists here.”
Lyna shook her head quickly. “No, I’m not hungry.”
Max gave a small, knowing smile.
Lyna lowered her head, staring at the floor. In a trembling voice, she said, “Yatra...”
Yatra immediately held her hand. “Don’t worry”.9 I’m here for you.
They moved forward in silence.
Ahead of them, a girl stood alone, her back turned. Slowly, she turned to face them.
Lyna suddenly stopped.
“Lyna hey, what happened?” Yatra asked, gripping her arm.
Lyna stared ahead, unable to speak.
And then
Everything went still.
End of Chapter 2.
- Writer
