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Sameer, ek freelance motion designer, Gurugram ke Sector 57 mein apne flat mein akela rehta tha. Uska kaam mostly raat ke waqt hota tha, jab clients US mein online hote the. Uske liye raat ka 1 baje tak kaam karna normal tha. Lekin kuch hafton se uske schedule mein ek ajeeb baat ho rahi thi — raat ke 2:08 pe har din uska Wi-Fi blink karta, aur ek second ke liye uska webcam green light on ho jaata. Usne pehle socha ki shayad driver update issue hoga. Lekin jab usne camera unplug kiya aur light tab bhi chali — tab uske andar kuch thanda sa sarak gaya.
Ek raat, 27 October, raat ke 2:08 baje, uske MacBook screen par ek notification aayi: “Incoming Video Call – Unknown Source.” Curious hone ke bawajood, Sameer hesitate kar raha tha. Lekin kisi ajeeb sa pull ke chalte usne click kiya.
Screen pe ek chhoti video feed chalu hui — wahan pe ek blank room tha, walls puri white, koi furniture nahi, sirf ek door — lekin woh door andar se band tha. Pehle pehle laga ke koi glitch feed hai. Tabhi camera dheere dheere pan hua — aur ek baat chhup gayi Sameer ke dil mein — camera usi jaisa dikh raha tha. Same hi T-shirt, same stubble, aur jo stranger wahan tha… woh seedha screen ke us paar dekh raha tha… jaise use dekh raha ho.
Call disconnect ho gayi. Koi message nahi. Laptop ka fan zor se ghoom raha tha. Sameer ne turant system shutdown kiya aur so gaya. Lekin next din jab usne kaam start kiya — uske project folder mein ‘Client_US_Oct.mp4’ file thi gayab. Aur woh project sirf usi system mein tha.
Agli raat 2:08 pe phir se wahi call aayi. Is baar Sameer dar gaya, lekin ignore kar diya. Lekin screen freeze ho gayi, aur bina click kiye feed chalu ho gayi. Is baar woh aadmi — Sameer doppelganger — camera ke pass aaya aur ek seedha sentence bola: “Jitna tootega, utna samjhega.”
Screen black ho gayi.
Sameer ne IT wale friend, Ashmit ko bulaya. Usne pura system deep scan kiya, aur koi malware nahi mila. “Kaafi weird hai yeh. Aesi koi feed initiate karna kisi private network pe impossible hai,” Ashmit bola. “Ya toh koi andar se kar raha hai… ya koi aur hi layer hai iske peeche.”
Agli din, Ashmit chala gaya. Jab Sameer ne usse call kiya toh number invalid bol raha tha. Uske Insta, WhatsApp, sab missing the. Jaise kabhi tha hi nahi. Lekin TV pe ek breaking news flash hui: “Local IT consultant Ashmit Singh missing, last seen in Sector 57.”
Sameer samajh gaya — yeh har call kuch chheen raha hai. Pehle uska data, phir uske rishtedar. Woh decided ki us raat woh call attend nahi karega. Lekin woh time jaise ruk gaya. Uska analog wall clock bhi 2:08 pe atak gaya. Room ki lights flicker hone lagi. Aur bina kisi input ke laptop boot hua — video call screen uspar phir chamak uthi.
Par is baar feed mein ek aur cheez thi — kaan se blood bahta hua Ashmit screen ke kone mein khada tha, aur doppelganger Sameer uski aankhon mein dekh raha tha. “Ignore mat kar. Jo dikhta hai… woh sirf aadha hai,” usne kaha. Tabhi screen ke neeche ek countdown start hua — 00:29…
Desperate Sameer camera band karne gaya, lekin webcam andar se screw ho chuka tha. Clock ticking… 00:10… 00:09…
Screen fade hui. Feed mein ab woh blank kamra dikh raha tha. Tabhi Sameer chilaaya: “Kya chahiye?”
Ek aur Sameer screen mein aaya, lekin is baar uska chehra ulta tha — ulta jaise kisi mirror mein bhi incorrectly reflect ho. Uske haathon mein kuch sa safed tha — ek paper jaisa. Usne screen pe chipka diya — aur woh word tha: “TUM.”
Us pal Sameer ne mehsoos kiya — uski khidki ka glass kaanph raha hai. Jab usne mud kar dekha — ek aankh uske pichle room ke glass pe chipki thi, bilkul ussi usoolon se bani — jaisi feed mein thi.
Next morning, apartment security guard ki report ke mutabik, Room 308 ab blank tha. Koi furnitures nahi, koi samaan nahi. Lekin ek MacBook desk par khula tha — jiska webcam green glow kar raha tha. Aur jo bhi pass se guzarta… usse lagta jaise koi andar se usse dekhta ho.
Raat ke 2:08 baje, uss building ke har floor pe logon ke devices pe ek unknown push notification aaye: “Incoming Video Call.”
Aur ek naya Sameer har screen pe blink kar gaya.
