Veer didn't hesitate.
His instincts kicked in before his brain could fully process the horror hanging above him. He moved.
With a sharp jerk, he wrenched his wrist away from the cold, lifeless grip.
The thing above him twisted.
Not like a person.
Like a ragdoll, broken at the joints, her body jerking unnaturally as if some invisible force was controlling her.
Her head, still completely backward, followed Veer's movement, her mouth stretched into that horrific, unnatural grin.
Zayan's flashlight clicked on just in time to catch what happened next.
The girl dropped.
Not jumped. Not fell.
She plummeted straight toward Veer—
And disappeared just before hitting him.
The air rippled, and for a second, the pressure in the room shifted, as if something huge had just exhaled.
Then—
Silence.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Veer's heart hammered against his ribs, but his expression remained cold, unreadable. He forced himself to breathe evenly.
Rudra broke the silence.
"Okay," he said slowly. "Did that just f***ing happen?"
Karan exhaled sharply, rolling his shoulders. "You tell me, genius."
Zayan didn't speak. He was still shining the flashlight at the ceiling, his jaw clenched so hard his teeth might crack.
Because the dust up there…
Was still disturbed.
Like something had been crawling.
Like something had been there all along.
Veer turned toward the others. "We move. Now."
No one argued.
They weren't cowards.
But even the bravest men knew when something was watching them.
And in this place, something always was.
---
The Second Investigation
They reached the last door. The one with the candle and the severed foot.
Zayan exhaled, kicking the candle aside. "If this thing wants to play mind games, let's see how it reacts to us breaking the rules."
He reached for the door handle.
And turned it.
Unlocked.
They exchanged glances. Something wanted them to go inside.
Rudra tightened his grip on his gun. "We ready?"
Veer nodded. "Always."
The door creaked open.
And inside…
It was wrong.
Not just eerie.
Impossible.
Because the room wasn't abandoned. It wasn't in ruins like the rest of the orphanage.
It was pristine.
Neat beds lined up, each covered in soft white sheets. The air smelled clean, warm. Like someone had just been here.
Like someone was still here.
And then—
Zayan took a step inside.
The second his foot touched the floor, the door slammed shut behind them.
The lights inside flickered—
And every single bed was now occupied.
Children.
All of them, lying perfectly still.
Face up. Eyes wide open.
Not moving.
Not blinking.
Not breathing.
Their bodies were too pale. Their lips too blue.
They were dead.
But the worst part?
Their eyes were all looking directly at Veer.
Then—
In perfect unison, their mouths opened.
And from their cold, unmoving lips—
A single voice whispered.
"You shouldn't have come."
Veer didn't move.
Neither did Rudra, Zayan, or Karan.
Because every single child's corpse was staring at them.
Mouths open. Eyes wide. Unmoving.
That whisper—"You shouldn't have come."
It had been clear, sharp.
But the lips of those dead children didn't move.
Which meant…
The voice hadn't come from them.
It had come through them.
Veer exhaled slowly. "Don't touch them."
Karan's grip tightened on his gun. "I wasn't planning to."
But Zayan was already moving, scanning the room for anything out of place. And that's when he saw it—
The wall.
Unlike the rest of the orphanage, this room was too clean, too perfect. But the wall on the far end…
It was wrong.
The paint was slightly off-color, the surface just a little too smooth. Almost like—
Zayan stepped closer, running his gloved fingers over it. His stomach twisted.
This wasn't a wall.
It was a door.
A hidden one.
And as soon as his fingers brushed against the surface—
The whisper came again.
But this time—
It was right behind him.
"Don't wake them up."
A sharp, ice-cold breath curled against the back of his neck.
He turned instantly, swinging his flashlight.
Nothing.
But the beds—
The bodies had changed.
They were still lying perfectly still.
But now—
Every single child had turned their heads.
All of them were facing Zayan.
---
Breaking Through
"Move," Veer ordered. His voice was steady, controlled, but there was an edge to it now.
They didn't have time for whatever game this place was playing.
Zayan nodded once and pulled out his knife. If there was a hidden door, they were opening it.
He dug the blade into the painted-over crack—
And the moment the knife sank in, the entire room screamed.
Not just one voice.
Not just the whisper.
All of them.
Every single child, still lying dead and motionless, let out a bloodcurdling, inhuman shriek.
The walls shook.
The beds rattled.
And from somewhere deep inside the orphanage—
Something laughed.
Low. Hollow. Starving.
But Veer, Rudra, Karan, and Zayan did not stop.
Because they were not here to play.
With one final push, the door cracked open.
And behind it—
A staircase.
Leading down.
But the walls?
They were covered in scratch marks.
Some deep. Some fresh.
Like someone had been trying to crawl out.
And at the bottom of the stairs—
A single wooden sign, its words barely visible through the dust and blood.
"THE SLEEPING ONES MUST NEVER WAKE."