Chapter 1
From the third-floor window of the hostel, a girl can be seen praying. It’s 1:45 AM. Outside, two blood-red eyes are fixed on her, watching with an unsettling intensity. As the girl moves into Sijdah, the eyes slowly fade away, disappearing into the darkness.
The scene shifts inside the hostel…
The girl praying is named Jhil. She is the beloved only daughter of a farmer. When Jhil was just six years old, her mother mysteriously vanished one day. No one knew where she went. Despite searching everywhere, no trace of her was found. Even now, Jhil’s eyes constantly search for her mother, wherever she may be.
After completing her salam and holding the prayer beads, Jhil murmurs an Istighfar. Just then, she notices her roommate, Imtaha, getting up from her bed. Imtaha moves in a strange, unnatural way, as if pulled by an invisible force, heading toward the washroom. Jhil doesn’t think much of it and continues her prayers. The sound of the prayer beads echoes in the silence, like a heartbeat. Suddenly, Jhil’s eyes widen. For a moment, she stops breathing. Her finger gets stuck in the prayer beads, and she can no longer continue the Istighfar.
Imtaha had left for her village this morning. Then who was it that walked toward the washroom?
The fan overhead hums, yet Jhil is drenched in sweat. Could she have imagined it, or did she really see Imtaha? Trying to calm herself, she slowly stands and begins walking toward the washroom, murmuring prayers under her breath.
She exits her room, passing two other rooms, and reaches the far end of the balcony where the washroom is located. From the outside, she notices that the light inside the washroom is on. That means someone is definitely inside. Her heart sinks. Trembling, Jhil approaches the door and knocks softly, calling out, “Imtaha, are you in there?”
Her voice gets stuck in her throat. Swallowing hard, she knocks again. Suddenly, the door creaks open. Jhil is startled, and out steps Sumana, a girl from the neighboring room.
Sumana glares at her, angry. “Are you out of your mind? It’s the middle of the night, and you’re knocking on the washroom door? If you’re feeling anxious, go downstairs.”
Jhil stands there, speechless, still trying to process the fact that it wasn’t Imtaha in the washroom. It was just a hallucination.
With a nervous smile, Jhil says, “Sorry, Sumana. I didn’t realize. You continue with what you were doing. I’ll go downstairs…”
Sumana, still irritated, snaps, “Don’t make me laugh. Now it’s too late for that! It won’t happen again.”
Jhil holds back a nervous laugh as she walks away, but Sumana suddenly says, “While I was in the washroom, a strange thought came to my mind…”
Jhil, still smiling, asks, “What kind of thought?”
Sumana grins. “Imagine you’re sitting on the toilet, minding your business, and suddenly you see a snake moving inside the commode. What would you do?”
Jhil thinks for a moment and replies, “Well, I guess I’d grab the pipe and start playing a tune on it…”
Sumana bursts into laughter. “That’s not a bad idea!”
With that, Sumana heads back to her room, and Jhil, feeling a little calmer, walks back to hers. She curses herself for the hallucination about Imtaha.
But as soon as she enters her room, she freezes in horror. Someone is lying in Imtaha’s bed, facing the opposite direction. It’s a male figure. Just as she’s about to scream, the figure suddenly jerks up and sits straight. Jhil stumbles backward, crashing into the door with a loud thud. Before she can make sense of what’s happening, the figure lunges toward her, and she feels a strange force enter her body.
Suddenly, Jhil undergoes a terrifying transformation. Her eyes turn blood-red, and her face twists into a grotesque, unnatural smile. Slowly, she walks toward the prayer mat, picks it up, and lays it in the opposite direction. She stands up in prayer, but instead of placing her hands on her chest as she normally would, she places them over her eyes. In a completely different voice, she says, “Allahu Akbar,” and then collapses unconscious onto the floor…
The scene shifts to twenty years ago…
On a cold winter morning, a young man wrapped in a blanket walks down a dew-covered dirt road, leading his two cows. He ties them to a post in a green field and then walks toward the crop field. As he walks back along the road, he suddenly hears the cows making frantic noises. He turns to see a woman in a white saree, her hands covered in blood, tearing into one of his cows, devouring its flesh. The other cow struggles and screams in terror.
The young man is horrified but rushes toward the scene to stop it. The moment the creature notices him, it abandons the cow and charges toward him with wild, enraged eyes. But just before it reaches him, it collapses on the ground. To his shock, the creature transforms into a beautiful girl, unlike anything he had ever seen. Her beauty is so captivating that he forgets the gruesome sight he had just witnessed.
He approaches her, checking to see if she is still alive, but as soon as he leans over to feel her breath, she bites his ear.
The scene shifts back to the present.
Jhil suddenly wakes up with a start. It’s morning now, and sunlight is streaming through the window. She feels feverish and looks around, realizing she’s back in her bed. The prayer mat is properly hung up, as it should be. It was all just a nightmare.
However, her fever is still intense. She struggles to get out of bed and stumbles toward the table, grabbing a biscuit and taking some medicine. Dizzy, she sits down, trying to make sense of what just happened.
The scene shifts to the hospital…
Dr. Ahiyan Ghazi, the youngest and most charming doctor in the hospital, is known for his humor and pleasant demeanor. He is sitting in his office when an elderly man enters.
Dr. Ahiyan smiles warmly. “So, what brings you in, old man?”
The elderly man coughs and replies, “Doctor, I’ve been coughing so much, and there’s a red thread coming out of my mouth. Please, give me some medicine.”
Dr. Ahiyan laughs. “Let me see how far that red thread is coming out…”
The elderly man responds sternly, “Stop making jokes and just give me the medicine! And no bitter stuff—don’t even think about it!”
As Dr. Ahiyan writes the prescription, he quips, “Alright, I’ll prescribe you some jalebi instead. How about that?”
The elderly man laughs heartily.
Just then, a nurse rushes in. “Sir, patient in room 17 is in critical condition. Dr. Humayun has been attending to him, but he’s unreachable.”
Without missing a beat, Dr. Ahiyan hurries to the ward, the nurse following closely behind.
After assessing the patient, Dr. Ahiyan orders immediate surgery. The patient is bleeding from the brain, and blood is coming from his nose.
The nurse hesitates. “But sir, Dr. Humayun will be angry. He won’t allow you to operate on his patient.”
Dr. Ahiyan responds firmly, “Just do it.”
They rush the patient to the operating theater.
After some time, Dr. Ahiyan emerges from the surgery, relieved. He removes his mask and heads back to his office, where a young woman is waiting.
Adjusting his glasses, Dr. Ahiyan asks, “So, what seems to be the issue?”
The girl replies weakly, “My name is Jhil…”
Dr. Ahiyan pauses, looking at her with interest. “Jhil? That’s the problem. What do you want me to do about that? Whoever gave you that name should be the one to help you.”
Jhil, barely able to speak, says, “No, doctor. It’s not the name. I woke up this morning with a terrible fever and body aches. I thought the medicine would help, but it’s only getting worse…”
Dr. Ahiyan, staring intently at her eyes, says in surprise, “Your pupils… they’re so small. They’re not like ordinary people’s…”
