Arjun hadn't slept.
Not because he was scared.
But because every time he blinked—
He saw something moving under his skin.
Not imagination.
Not reflection.
Actual movement.
Like thin fingers slowly dragging beneath his flesh.
The First Tear
It started with itching.
Behind his neck.
Right where Meera's cold fingers had touched him nights ago.
He scratched.
Hard.
Harder.
Until skin broke.
Blood trickled down his back.
But the itching didn't stop.
It grew worse.
As if something inside wanted out.
He ran to the mirror.
Turned around.
Pulled his shirt off.
And froze.
There was a mark on his back.
Not a wound.
Not exactly.
It looked like fingerprints.
Pressed from the inside.
Like someone was trying to push outward through his skin.
Five long shapes.
Stretching.
Moving.
His reflection smiled again.
He didn't.
"Let them out," the reflection whispered.
He slammed his fist into the mirror.
Glass shattered.
Blood everywhere.
But the reflection kept smiling—
Even from broken pieces.
Raghav
Arjun needed answers.
If Raghav was involved, he needed to confront him.
He found his address through old contacts.
A small apartment at the edge of the city.
Door slightly open.
Inside—
Silence.
Too silent.
Arjun stepped in.
The smell hit him instantly.
Rot.
Decay.
Stronger than the cemetery.
Stronger than the bathtub vision.
He walked slowly.
Every step sticky.
The floor was wet.
Not water.
Dark.
Thick.
Blood.
The living room walls were covered in something written repeatedly:
"I DIDN'T TOUCH THE BRAKES."
Over and over.
Scratched into paint.
With fingernails.
Arjun's breathing became shallow.
"Raghav?"
No answer.
He moved toward the bedroom.
Door half-closed.
Something was dripping inside.
Slow.
Rhythmic.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
He pushed the door open.
And wished he hadn't.
Raghav was on the ceiling.
Not hanging.
Attached.
Like a spider.
Limbs twisted unnaturally.
Fingers dug into plaster.
Head facing downward.
Eyes wide open.
Unblinking.
His mouth was stretched too wide.
Too wide for a human jaw.
As if something had forced it open from inside.
Blood dripping from his lips onto the floor below.
Raghav's eyes locked onto Arjun.
And he smiled.
But it wasn't Raghav's smile.
"You blamed him," the layered voice spoke from Raghav's mouth.
"You always need someone to blame."
Arjun stumbled backward.
Raghav's body jerked violently.
Bones cracking.
Snapping.
His spine bent wrong.
His jaw split further.
And from inside his mouth—
Something pushed outward.
A black, slick shape.
Like smoke with bones.
It slid out slowly.
Stretching Raghav's skin as it exited.
Skin tearing.
Ripping.
Peeling away like wet cloth.
Raghav's body fell to the floor empty.
Hollow.
Like a discarded shell.
The black shape stood upright.
Tall.
Limbs elongated.
Face blurred.
"You are the door," it said again.
Then it moved.
Too fast.
It lunged toward Arjun—
And everything went dark.
The Awakening
Arjun woke up in his own bed.
Again.
Morning.
Sunlight.
Birds outside.
Silence.
No blood.
No broken mirror.
No wounds on his back.
He rushed to the bathroom.
Checked his reflection.
Normal.
He exhaled slowly.
"Just trauma…"
His phone buzzed.
News notification.
"Local Man Found Dead in Apartment — Cause of Death Under Investigation."
Photo attached.
Raghav.
On a stretcher.
Body twisted.
Skin pale.
Jaw broken open.
Arjun dropped the phone.
It wasn't a dream.
The Possession Begins
The itching returned.
Stronger.
He collapsed onto the floor.
Clutching his neck.
Something inside moved violently.
He felt pressure under his ribs.
Like something pressing against his organs.
He screamed—
And this time, something answered.
Not outside.
Inside.
A whisper echoing in his skull.
"We're growing."
His vision blurred.
His reflection in the TV screen shifted.
He saw himself—
Standing upright.
Eyes black.
Skin cracking.
Smiling.
And behind him—
Dozens of shadows.
Waiting their turn.
"You survived twice," the voice inside him said.
"Few do."
His stomach twisted.
He ran to the sink and vomited.
But it wasn't vomit.
It was soil.
Wet.
Dark.
With tiny pieces of wood inside.
Coffin wood.
He fell backward, choking.
His chest started moving unnaturally.
Skin stretching.
Rising.
As if something underneath was trying to sit up.
His ribs pushed outward.
Skin thinning.
Veins darkening.
And then—
A hand pressed against the inside of his chest.
Clear outline.
Five fingers.
Pushing outward.
He felt bones cracking.
Pain exploded through his body.
He screamed until his throat tore.
The hand slowly withdrew back inside.
His body went still.
Silence.
Breathing shallow.
Tears streaming.
And then—
A final whisper inside his skull:
"Chapter One was grief."
"Chapter Two was fear."
"Chapter Three was guilt."
"Chapter Four was awakening."
Pause.
"Chapter Five…"
His eyes slowly turned black.
"…is transformation."
Final Scene
That night—
3:17 AM.
The cemetery guard checked the grounds again.
He stopped near Meera's grave.
It was closed again.
Perfect.
Undisturbed.
As if never opened.
He turned to leave—
But heard something behind him.
Footsteps.
Soft.
Dragging slightly.
He turned slowly.
Standing between the graves—
Was Arjun.
But not fully Arjun.
His posture slightly wrong.
Head tilted.
Eyes completely black.
Skin faintly cracked like dried soil.
He smiled gently.
Too gently.
And behind him—
Multiple shadows moved independently of his body.
The guard tried to run.
But Arjun's voice echoed calmly:
"Don't be scared."
Pause.
"We just need another door."
The cemetery lights exploded simultaneously.
Darkness swallowed everything.
And from far away—
A car engine started.
Wipers moving.
Even though the sky was clear.
Tak… tak… tak… tak…