Cherreads

Chapter 3 - CHAPTER 3: The Awakening Protocol

Morning had already arrived.

The alarm rang, but Ishan was already awake. He turned it off and walked to the window, quietly staring outside. 🌅

His mind was stuck on a single thought—

"Whatever happened last night… why would anyone ever believe it?"

He didn't say a word to anyone.

"What's the point of explaining if no one's going to believe me?" 🤐

The following days passed in his normal routine. But he couldn't stop observing everything—people's behaviors, the atmosphere around him… everything felt off. 👀

---

One day, while returning home from college, his eyes landed on an old building—an abandoned library. 📚

The gate was open. The signboard was faded.

Curiosity pulled Ishan in, and he slowly began walking toward the building... 🕰️

Inside, the library had an odd chill in the air—like the temperature didn't match the outside world. ❄️

It was dim. Only a few rays of light filtered in through the dusty glass panels.

And in that faint light… was his first view. 🔦

---

Thick layers of dust covered the books.

The smell of dampness and mold made it hard to breathe.

Old books, broken shelves… and an eerie silence filled the place. 😶‍🌫️

In one corner, a shelf had collapsed.

As Ishan lifted it, he found an old diary beneath it—

Worn, faded, with a blank cover. 📝

He opened the diary...

And the very first page pulled him in.

---

📅 December 3

A car passed by me three times this morning.

Same car. Same plate. Same speed.

Am I hallucinating...? 🚗🚗🚗

📅 December 9

People in the market were repeating the same lines.

One guy said the same sentence three times…

Different places, different people…

Weird. 🧍🔁🧍

📅 December 15

Time sometimes freezes.

My watch got stuck at 8:32 for five whole minutes.

Then suddenly at 8:37, everything went back to normal.

Like no one even noticed… or cared. ⌚❌

---

📅 December 21

Building names change randomly.

Sometimes it says 'Core Block', then suddenly 'Essex 504'.

Feels like a joke… but it's real. 🏢❓

📅 December 22

Maybe we're in a simulation.

I keep seeing glitches.

No one else seems to notice.

Or maybe… it's just me. 🕳️⚡

📅 January 1

"I found it…

We're asleep—trapped in a virtual world.

This isn't real life.

We have to wake up." 🌐⚠️

Last Page:

If you're reading this… then maybe you're feeling the same way I did.

Maybe… I won't be alive by the time you read this. 🕳️

Ever since I discovered the truth, everything's fading—

my memories, my thoughts, even my existence…

like I'm being erased from this world. ☁️

For a few seconds, it feels normal…

then suddenly, the screen flickers.

And I know... I'm about to die. ⚫📴

"Before I go... I've uploaded all the clues—locations, details—into a chip."

"This is my last voice recording.

Everything I saw… everything I understood… it's all inside."

"You can do what I couldn't." 💾

---

"Who was this guy...? Was everything he wrote… true?"

Ishan closed the diary, his mind spiraling into thoughts. 🔄

Even he had felt similar things before.

But the real shock?

He had never once imagined—

"We're all asleep." 🛌

Suddenly, an old page slipped out of the diary.

It had a rough sketch…

A strange pod-like structure, with a human lying inside, attached to wires. 🧍‍♂️⚙️

Beneath it was written:

"The sleeping ones never wake… unless they are shaken." 🔁💥

---

Ishan froze in shock.

This was everything… everything he had seen days ago.

"Are we really asleep?

Are we being controlled by some kind of machine?" 🤖

Suddenly, he noticed a small cut on the diary's cover—

something taped to it. He gently peeled it away...

A chip.

An old data card—just like the one mentioned in the diary. 💽

---

"What's inside that chip?

Will Ishan uncover the truth behind this virtual world?

And if he does… what will he do next?" 🤯

To be continued...

More Chapters