The 2:17 AM Call

The Door..

The three of them stood frozen in front of Block C.
Nobody spoke.
The sound of the ringing phone continued to echo through the abandoned building.

Tring...
Tring...
Tring...

Kaira stared at the dark entrance.

"Someone's phone is ringing inside," Arjun whispered.
Riya shook her head.

"We're leaving."
"But what about the photograph?" Kaira asked.
Riya looked at the old photograph still in Kaira's hand.

"That's exactly why we're leaving."

Kaira looked down at it again.

Three girls.
The same tree.
The same university.
And one of them looked exactly like her.
She turned the photograph over.
You promised you'd remember.
"What does that even mean?" Kaira whispered.
Arjun took the photograph from her.
"Maybe it's not you."
Kaira looked at him.
"Then why does she look exactly like me?"
Arjun didn't have an answer.
Suddenly, the ringing stopped.
Silence returned.
"Okay," Riya said. "Now we definitely leave."
They turned around.
And then—

BANG!

The door of Block C slammed shut behind them.
All three jumped.
Arjun immediately turned back.
The chain that had been hanging loosely across the entrance was now wrapped around the door.
"That wasn't there before," he said.
Riya grabbed his arm.
"Don't."
Arjun looked at her.
"Someone is definitely inside."
"That's exactly why we shouldn't be here."
Kaira didn't respond.
She was staring at the second-floor window.
The same window where she had seen the figure earlier.
There was nobody there now.
But something else caught her attention.
A small white piece of paper was stuck against the glass.
She couldn't read it from where she stood.
"Kaira," Riya whispered.
"What?"
"Let's go."
Kaira finally nodded.
The three quickly walked away from Block C.
None of them noticed the curtain on the second floor slowly moving.
They reached the main part of the campus.
Everything suddenly felt normal again.
Students were laughing.
Someone was playing music near the canteen.
A group of boys were arguing about cricket.
The ordinary sounds of college life surrounded them.
But the three friends couldn't feel normal.
They sat at their usual table.
Riya placed both hands on the table.
"Okay. Nobody says anything until we figure out what just happened."
Arjun leaned back.
"Someone could have planted the photograph."
"Why?"
"To scare us."
"But ...why Kaira?"
Arjun went silent.
Kaira had been staring at the photograph the entire time.
"I've never seen that place before," she said.
Riya looked at her.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"You've never been near Block C?"
"No."
Arjun took out his phone.
"Let's search the university records."
He opened a browser and typed:
"Sunshine Soldiers University Block C 2019"..
Several old pages appeared.
Most were useless.
Then Arjun found something.
"Wait."
Kaira and Riya leaned closer.
There was an old university article from August 2019.
The headline read:

STUDENT MISSING FROM UNIVERSITY CAMPUS

Below it was a photograph.
The quality was poor.
But Kaira recognized the background immediately.
The same tree.
The same building.
Her heart began beating faster.
"Read it," she whispered.
Arjun scrolled.
"On August 17, 2019, a second-year student named..."
He stopped.
"What's the name?"
Arjun looked at Kaira.
"Kaira Sharma."
The world seemed to stop.
Kaira's face went pale.
"That's not possible."
Riya grabbed the phone.
"Show me."
Arjun handed it to her.
Riya read the article again.
The student was listed as missing.
Last seen near Block C.
Date:
August 17, 2019.
Kaira shook her head.
"My name isn't Sharma."
"I know," Arjun said.
"Then why..."
She couldn't finish.
Arjun scrolled further.
There was another photograph.
A young girl standing beside the university fountain.
Kaira stared at it.
The face was unmistakable.
It was her.
Or someone who looked exactly like her.
Riya whispered,
"Kaira..."
Kaira stood up suddenly.
"I need air."
She walked away from the table.
Riya immediately followed.
Arjun stayed behind, still reading.
There was one final line in the article.
It had been added several years after the disappearance.
"The case remains unresolved."
That night, Kaira couldn't sleep.
She lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
Riya was asleep beside her.
The room was completely silent.
Kaira looked at the clock.
1:56 A.M.
She remembered the previous night's call.
She remembered the voice.
She remembered the photograph.
And she remembered the words: Why did you come back?
She turned toward the window.
Nothing.
She looked back at the clock.
2:10 A.M.
Her heart began beating faster.
She didn't know why.
Maybe she was expecting something.
Maybe she was afraid of it.
2:16 A.M.
Kaira sat up.
The room felt unusually cold.
She checked Riya.
Still asleep.
Then—
2:17 A.M.
Her phone rang.
Kaira stared at the screen.
INCOMING CALL
KAIRA
Her hand trembled.
She didn't answer.
The phone continued ringing.
Riya suddenly woke up.
"Kaira?"
Kaira pointed at the phone.
Riya's eyes widened.
"It's happening again."
The ringing stopped.
Both girls remained silent.
Then a message appeared.
Unknown Number:
You found her.
Kaira's blood ran cold.
Another message arrived.
Now find out who she really is.
Riya whispered,
"Who is 'her'?"
Kaira slowly looked toward the photograph lying on her desk.
The girl who looked exactly like her.
Then her phone vibrated again.
A photograph appeared.
Kaira opened it.
It was a picture of Block C.
But this photograph wasn't old.
It had been taken just moments ago.
The second-floor window was visible.
And someone was standing behind it.
Kaira zoomed in.
Her breath caught.
The person wasn't a stranger.
It was Arjun.
Standing inside Block C.
Kaira immediately called him.
No answer.
She called again.
Still nothing.
Riya grabbed her phone.
"Where is he?"
Kaira looked at the clock.
2:21 A.M.
Then another message arrived.--Don't trust him.
Kaira stared at the words.
A final message appeared.--He remembers everything.
The phone went dark.
And for the first time, Kaira wondered...
Maybe the mystery wasn't about a missing girl.
Maybe it was about one of her best friends.

                     To be continued...