Vikram woke up suddenly.
The room was still dark ,The fan spun slowly, its soft hum filling the silence.
His body did not feel tired, yet it did not feel rested either. He sat up on the bed, staring at the door, his mind blank.
Then the alarm rang. It shattered the stillness.
He got ready for the day, buttoning his shirt when a knock echoed at the door.
Vikram opened it. Rishi was standing there, a wide grin on his face.
"Hey, mock results are out. Guess what? I topped!" he said excitedly, stepping inside.
Vikram smiled faintly. "Congrats, Rishi. Sit down for a minute, I'll get ready," he said.
When Vikram finished getting dressed, they walked down the corridor together. Morning light had not yet fully filled the building. As they walked, the corridor lights flickered once. Rishi didn't notice, but Vikram stopped for a moment.
"Did they really flicker, or am I imagining things?" he thought. He frowned slightly before walking on.
The hostel common area was already noisy with laughter. Sunny and Ayaan's voices filled the air.
"Hey Sunny, I told Rishi to aim high. I'm the reason he topped," Ayaan said proudly, thumping his chest.
Sunny laughed. "Ayaan, you wouldn't get first rank even in your dreams. Forget reality."
Everyone burst into laughter. "Topper is here!" someone shouted as Rishi entered. The teasing continued.
Vikram smiled too, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. It was there only for others to see.
Ayaan turned suddenly to Vikram. "Hey, what's your rank?"
Without thinking,
Vikram replied, "Second."
"Oh, nice! Congrats, man," Sunny said cheerfully.
They chatted for a while before leaving together for college.
The four of them walked through the campus, the early sunlight spilling over the trees and buildings. The morning looked peaceful, but Vikram felt something else. A strange sense that someone was watching him from behind crept over him.
He turned around once. No one was there. He walked on, ignoring the feeling, but it didn't fade.
A few minutes later,
Aarohi joined them, holding a few files. "Vikram, did you check the senior lab record I gave you yesterday? Any new research ideas?" she asked with interest.
Vikram paused. "Sorry, I got caught up with something. Let's sit in the library today and discuss it later," he said quickly, avoiding her gaze. Aarohi nodded but said nothing. Still, she noticed the hesitation in his voice.
"Rishi, you come too. Let's research together," Vikram said suddenly.
"Sure," Rishi replied without thinking.
In the lecture hall, class had begun. Vikram's pen moved swiftly across his notebook. The professor asked a difficult question.
Vikram almost answered. "Actually..." he started, but stopped mid-sentence. His heartbeat rose sharply. He didn't know why. Why had he stopped? What was he afraid of?
Before the silence grew awkward, Rishi spoke up and answered confidently. The professor nodded in approval.
Evening came, and Vikram and Rishi headed toward the library. Ayaan met them halfway down the path.
"Hey Vikram, the tournament's close. Can you help us practice daily?" he asked with enthusiasm.
Vikram hesitated. "Not today. I need to finish some research work," he said quietly.
"No problem, we'll see tomorrow," Ayaan said before running off toward the ground.
The library was silent. Vikram and Rishi sat facing each other. Aarohi hadn't arrived yet. To pass time, they picked up a few reference books. Even the sound of pages turning felt loud in that stillness.
Vikram's hand brushed against the book he had seen yesterday. Without thinking, he opened the page again. His eyes scanned the line again and again.
Rishi glanced at the title, then leaned over slightly to see the page number. A flicker of surprise crossed his face.
He almost asked, "Wasn't this the same page you were stuck on yesterday?", but stopped when he saw the tension in Vikram's expression.
Some questions, he knew, were better left unasked.
Aarohi arrived moments later, carrying a stack of books.
"Sorry, I'm late," she said,
spreading the materials across the table. They began their research. Everything seemed normal. They talked, took notes, discussed theories. But inside Vikram, something was wrong. A quiet, growing pressure that he couldn't name.
He opened the senior lab record, checking the list of experiments. Rishi was looking through journals on the computer, while Aarohi flipped through thick reference books. Vikram's eyes stopped at a diagram. He stared at it.
"This doesn't look right," he said slowly.
Rishi looked up. "Anything wrong, Vikram?"
Pointing at the page, Vikram said,
"This method can create energy pockets. High-energy bubbles. If it goes out of control, it could harm anyone nearby."
His tone was calm but serious. And inside, a question echoed.
"How do I even know this?"
Rishi immediately searched for related journals online. After a few minutes, his eyes widened.
"Vikram, look at this. The same risk is mentioned here," he said, showing the screen.
"Then we need to find a safer method. One mistake could lead to disaster," Vikram said, scanning the data.
Rishi stared at him, confused.
"How did you know this?" he asked quietly.
Vikram didn't answer.
Just then, calm. Measured. A voice spoke inside him.
"You don't know about it, but I know everything."
Vikram froze. His body went still. His eyes darted around the room.
"Is this real, or am I imagining it?" he whispered to himself. No one else seemed to notice anything.
Aarohi was still flipping pages, and Rishi was focused on the monitor.
The voice was still there, echoing inside him. Vikram clasped his hands together and took a slow breath, trying to calm down.
Aarohi looked up.
"Vikram, what's wrong? You look tense."
"Nothing. Just thinking if there's another method for this experiment," he said softly.
His voice sounded normal, but his heart was pounding. He hoped the voice wouldn't return.
By the time they finished, it was past seven. They packed up their things and headed out.
The night air was cool as they walked back to the hostel.
Vikram called Ayaan. "Did the practice end?"
"Yeah, just now. We're on our way back," Ayaan said.
They all walked together down the quiet road. Vikram's chest tightened again. Something was coming. He couldn't see it, but he could feel it.
Sunny stretched his arms with a groan.
"That practice nearly killed me today. Any longer and Ayaan would've had to carry me home."
Ayaan laughed between breaths.
"Good practice is hard. That's how we get better."
Between their chatter, Vikram fell silent. His heartbeat grew louder.
Then, out of nowhere, a small boy stepped onto the road.
He seemed lost in thought, walking straight ahead without looking around.
"Hey kid, watch where you're going," Sunny called out instinctively.
But the road looked empty. Too empty.
From the corner, a car's headlight flared into view. It was speeding fast. The rider hadn't seen the child.
"Kid, move! The car!" Ayaan shouted, running forward.
The boy froze in fear. Everyone started running, desperate to reach him. The distance between the car and the child closed fast.
Before anyone could react, Vikram moved.
"Vikram!" Rishi shouted, terrified.
No one saw when Vikram reached the child. The headlights, the road, the moment itself seemed to blur.
Would Vikram save the child in time… or was it already too late?