Ananya stepped out of the taxi and looked up at the tall building standing in front of her. The college hostel looked older than she expected. The walls were slightly faded, and the windows looked like they had been watching students come and go for many years.
She took a deep breath.
"This is it… my new beginning," she whispered to herself.
Ananya had just moved to the city to start her first year of college. Living in the hostel felt exciting and a little scary at the same time. She picked up her suitcase and walked inside the building.
The hostel corridor was quiet. Too quiet.
Her footsteps echoed as she walked toward the warden's office.
Inside the office, the warden, Mrs. Mehra, sat behind a large wooden desk. She looked at Ananya through her glasses.
"You must be Ananya Sharma," the warden said.
"Yes, ma'am," Ananya replied politely.
Mrs. Mehra checked a register and then handed her a small metal key.
"Room 307. Third floor."
Ananya smiled and took the key. But as she turned to leave, something strange happened.
The assistant sitting nearby suddenly looked up.
"Ma'am… Room 307?" he asked in a low voice.
The warden gave him a sharp look, and he immediately became silent.
Ananya felt a little confused but decided not to think much about it.
She walked upstairs with her luggage. The third floor corridor felt colder than the others. Most of the rooms had students chatting and laughing inside, but the area near Room 307 was completely silent.
As Ananya reached the door, she noticed something strange.
The door looked older than the others.
She inserted the key and slowly opened it.
The room was simple—two beds, two study tables, a window, and a cupboard. Dust floated in the sunlight coming through the window.
"It's not that bad," she said, trying to sound positive.
She placed her bag on the bed and started unpacking.
After a while, she noticed that the room felt unusually cold.
Maybe the window was open somewhere.
Ananya walked toward the study table to wipe off some dust.
But suddenly she froze.
On the dusty table, someone had written something with their finger.
Three words.
The message looked fresh.
Ananya slowly leaned closer to read it.
Her heart started beating faster.
It said:
"Leave before it's too late."
Ananya's hands started trembling.
She was sure of one thing.
She had just entered the room…
So who wrote the message?
And more importantly—
Who was warning her?
To be continued…u