The vast ocean was calm and soothing. I was floating away in a boat, alone, immersed in the vastness of the ocean. I could feel the damp ocean air on my face, drawing away all the panic, leaving me calm and sombre.
Thud!!
That was a strange sound in the middle of nowhere.
Thud!! Thud!!
I woke up with a start. Damn these hostel kids!! I muttered under my breath, Who goes around knocking people's doors at 3 in the morning??
Rubbing my eyes, I sleepily got out of the bed, struggling to find my slippers. Few people appreciate the effort it takes to find slippers in the middle of the night!!
As I opened the door, I looked left and I looked right, only to find not a soul in the corridor. Cursing under my breath, I returned to my bed, ready to be lost into my sombre.
Thud!! Thud!!
This time i sprinted towards the door and opened it with a jerk. Still no one!! This time I lost my patience and yelled curses all over the corridor.... As soon as I closed the door, the realization came striking down on me.
It was the middle of summer vacations and there was not a soul in my corridor. My corridor was dead empty. I ruled out the possibility of someone running downstairs as my room was on the other end.
Slowly the color on my face vanished. Trickles of sweat started emerging down my neck. A chill ran down my back. With shivering hands, I locked the door and was about to turn to my bed when I saw a shadow lurking through the crease of the door.
Assuming someone was in the corridor, I quickly unbolted the door and leapt into the corridor. To my disgust, the moment I stepped into corridor, my room door banged shut.
This time I was scared to hell. I could feel my legs trembling. The earth shook beneath my legs.
A light was flickering near the lift. I could sense someone was there. Slowly,I started walking towards the lift, one step at a time, my senses completely awake, ready to tackle anything that could come. The light was there,
On! Off! On! Off!....
As my eyes was fixated on the light, Ifelt a hand creep in from behind and grab my shoulder. A loud voice echoed " BACK TO ROOM! BOY!!". At first I was so startled that I nearly jumped out of my pyjamas. But soon a calmness engulfed me. Finally the warden was here....
As i swung around to greet my saviour, my heart skipped a beat. Horror came crashing down upon me. There was no one in the corridor. Then who the hell shouted??
I mustered all the strength i could and ran towards the lift. My legs seemd to defy coordination as I slipped on a patch of water and my head banged against the wall. All earthly prespective left me for a moment. As my mind gained control, I realised that water can't be thick, neither can it be blood red.
I yelled at the top of my voice as I got up from the pool of blood and sprinted towards the lift.
I lunged into the lift, slammed the old manual doors shut and pressed the ground floor button a thousand times. I waited anxiously as the lift meter showed 5th to 4th floor, then slowly 4th to3rd and 3rd to 2nd..........
Wait!!!!
Why was it stuck between 3rd and 2nd floor? As Iwas ponderng, the lift rattled to a stop....!!!!
Horror gripped me!! I could feel cold sweat on my trembling hands. The face seemed to drain any color left. My legs gave away as I fell on the floor.
A voice echoed "BACK TO ROOM! BOY!!". The lift lights started blinking and blood started to fill the lift floor, thick, red and stinking. All I could do was shout at the top of my lungs.
The fresh morning newspaper was lying untouched on thetable. As the warden sipped his hot coffee, he turned to the first page. A he saw the first page, his fingers went numb and the cup fell down, breaking into a million pieces. He reread the headline:
"Boy found dead in hostel lift. Carcass found without a single drop of blood in body!!"
5 years have passed, the lift still hangs between the floors 3/2 and the corridor is still drop dead empty!!!!
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