CHAPTER 3: DO NOT TOUCH
1434 Words
They moved forward in silence.
Their footsteps echoed softly, each sound swallowed by the massive hall as if the place itself was listening. The lanterns lining the walls flickered again, their light stretching shadows into long, twisted shapes that crawled across the floor.
Ahead of them, a girl stood alone.
Her back was turned.
She didn’t move.
Didn’t breathe—at least, not visibly.
She stood at the center of the corridor as if she had been placed there on purpose.
“Hello…?” Noah called out carefully.
No response.
The girl slowly turned.
The moment her face came into view—
Lyna stopped.
Her body froze mid-step.
Her breath caught painfully in her throat.
Her fingers slipped from Yatra’s hand.
“Lyna?” Yatra asked, instantly alarmed. “Hey—what happened?”
Lyna didn’t answer.
Her eyes widened.
Her lips trembled.
She stared straight ahead, as if the world had suddenly stopped making sense.
“Lyna?” Max said softly. “Do you know her?”
Lyna’s knees weakened.
She staggered forward a step.
Then another.
“No…” she whispered. “This… this can’t be—”
The girl looked just as shocked.
Her eyes filled instantly.
“Sis-Sister…?” she whispered.
That voice broke everything.
Lyna let out a sharp gasp.
“Luna.”
The name escaped her lips like a prayer.
Before anyone could react, Luna ran forward.
Lyna ran too.
They collided in the middle of the corridor, arms wrapping tightly around each other as if letting go would erase the other’s existence.
Lyna buried her face in Luna’s shoulder.
Luna clutched her sister like she was afraid she might disappear.
Luna cried. “I thought—”
“I’m here,” Lyna whispered back, her voice shaking. “I’m right here.”
The group stood in stunned silence.
Yatra felt his chest tighten.
Arthur slowly exhaled.
Noah blinked. “Wait… sister?”
They pulled back just enough to look at each other.
Lyna cupped Luna’s face with trembling hands, examining her like she couldn’t believe she was real.
“You’re okay?” Lyna asked. “You’re not hurt?”
Luna nodded quickly. “I’m okay. I was scared, but I’m okay.”
“How did you get here?” Lyna asked urgently. “Luna, tell me.”
Luna wiped her eyes, trying to calm herself.
“I had just finished my class,” she said. “You know… the one near Aunt’s house.”
Lyna nodded.
“I was walking back,” Luna continued. “I thought about calling you. I even took my phone out.”
She frowned. “And then… I don’t know. One second I was on the road. The next second—”
She looked around the massive hallway.
“I woke up here.”
Lyna pulled her into another tight hug.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I understand.”
Luna looked up at her. “But… what about you? Weren’t you at home?”
Lyna nodded slowly. “Yes. I was with them.”
She gestured toward the group.
“We don’t know how we got here either.”
Luna looked past her sister for the first time.
Her gaze landed on Yatra.
She blinked.
Then her lips curved into a playful smile.
“Oh.”
She gently moved Lyna aside.
Stepped closer to Yatra.
Yatra stiffened, confused.
Luna - “Hi. I’m Luna.”
She leaned forward slightly. “Lyna’s little, cute sister.”
Yatra blinked. “Uh—hi.”
Luna smiled wider. “You’re very handsome.”
Dead silence.
Noah’s mouth fell open.
Max covered her lips, suppressing a laugh.
Maya raised an eyebrow. “Bold.”
Before Yatra could respond, Lyna grabbed Luna by the collar and pulled her back.
She wrapped one arm around Yatra’s shoulder possessively.
Held him close.
“He’s mine,” Lyna said.
Yatra nearly choked.
Luna blinked, then looked at Yatra with a playful smirk. “Hey, mister… is that true?”
Yatra smiled, lifted one hand, ran it through his head, and nodded. “Yeah.”
Luna’s eyes widened. “What—sister, you’re in love? That’s amazing!” She looked at Yatra again and grinned. “And he’s really cute too.”
Lyna laughed softly, a faint blush on her face. “Okay, stop it, Luna.”
Luna chuckled, clearly enjoying the moment.
Just then, Jiro stepped forward with a confident grin. “Since everyone’s sharing—hi, I’m Jiro. I’m a car mechanic.” He paused and added, “So if any of you break down here… don’t worry. I fix people faster than engines.”
That finally drew a few smiles.
Luna laughed. “Who is this funny guy?”
Everyone laughed with her.
Everyone—except Tony.
He stood slightly apart, his face unreadable, watching them without reacting.
Yatra noticed it. Arthur did too.
Their eyes met for a brief second, sharing the same thought—
Why does he always look like he’s acting?
Luna looked around and let out a small breath. “Okay… for now I have my sister with me.” She glanced at Lyna, then back at the others. “So what next? Where do we go now?”
Noah answered first. “Standing here won’t help. We should keep moving.”
Max nodded. “Yeah. If we stop, we’ll just start overthinking everything.”
Maya hugged her arms. “But moving where? Every path looks the same.”
Yatra looked ahead, scanning the darkness. “We follow one direction. If something happens again, at least we’ll know it’s not random.”
Lyna tightened her grip on Luna’s hand. “And we stay together. No one goes off alone.”
Jiro forced a light tone. “Group rule accepted. No disappearing acts—unless this place comes with an exit sign.”
Tony spoke at last, quietly. “As long as we keep talking… we won’t lose each other.”
Arthur glanced at him, thoughtful, but said nothing.
With no better choice, they started moving forward—together, unsure of what waited ahead, but knowing one thing: stopping wasn’t an option anymore.
Suddenly, a man came running toward them, sobbing uncontrollably.
His cries echoed through the space—raw, broken, desperate.
Everyone froze.
“Stop!” Noah shouted. “Who are you?”
The man stumbled backward, eyes wild, breathing uneven. “D-Don’t come near me!” he screamed. “I know this trick. You’re all bullies… you’re part of this!”
“We’re not,” Eve said slowly. “Calm down.”
The man shook his head violently. “No. I was kidn*pped. I swear. I don’t know how I got here.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I just… woke up.”
After a moment, he swallowed hard. “My name is Sirius.”
He pointed behind him, his hand shaking. “I came from that way. I heard something calling me.”
As he stepped aside, his fingers brushed the wall by mistake.
The air snapped.
Not a sound—more like the space itself cracked.
The lights above flickered violently. The ground vibrated beneath their feet. A low, distorted whisper crawled out of the darkness, surrounding them from every direction.
“DO NOT… TOUCH.”
Sirius dropped to his knees. “I didn’t mean to—I didn’t—”
The wall began to pulse, dark lines spreading across it like veins.
Lyna grabbed Yatra’s arm. “This place is alive,” she whispered.
Yatra didn’t answer. His eyes were fixed on the wall.
Because something behind it had just moved.
And it was listening.
After a long, terrifying silence, they made a decision—there was no other way.
Slowly, they stepped forward.
The moment they crossed the threshold, they froze.
“What the hell… is this?” Jiro whispered.
The place before them was stunning—but not in a comforting way. Endless structures stretched into darkness, glowing with strange patterns. The air shimmered, beautiful and wrong at the same time. It felt like standing inside a dream that didn’t want them there.
Lyna swallowed. “It’s… beautiful.”
“And terrifying,” Arthur added quietly.
Then—
SNAP.
The door behind them slammed shut on its own.
The sound echoed like a verdict.
They spun around, panic rising.
“No—wait!” Maya shouted, running toward it.
The door didn’t move.
The lights shifted. Symbols ignited along the walls.
Somewhere, unseen, something activated.
They had stepped inside.
The game had begun.
And none of them knew it yet.
End of Chapter 3.
- Writer
