The Counselling Glitch
“You have been allotted a seat in RK Institute of Technology, Andhra Pradesh.”
Sushanth stared at the screen in disbelief. He hadn’t even selected RKIT in his preference list. He cross-checked the counselling code. Again. The application form. The OTP verification.
All were correct. And yet…
A rejected college had somehow become his destination.
“I never clicked that choice,” he muttered, puzzled.
Before he could process it, his father was already on the phone calling relatives. His mother had started packing his bag before he even stood up from the chair.
Fate had spoken. Or maybe... something else had.
Four Days Later
The college gates loomed ahead like a prison for young minds — iron-wrought, black, and unnecessarily gothic for a tech institution. A huge board above read:
“RK Institute of Technology – Signal Your Future.”
Ironic.
Sushanth dragged his suitcase toward the hostel block, scanning faces for anyone that looked remotely welcoming. He didn’t expect a red-hoodie-clad boy running straight at him.
THUMP. A football smacked into Sushanth’s bag.
“Bro, goalie or enemy?” the boy grinned. “You blocked it like your dad blocks your dating life.”
Sushanth blinked.
“Arjun,” the boy introduced himself, extending a hand. “Hostel prank king, meme master, and your new roommate.”
Before Sushanth could respond, a sharp female voice cut in.
“Prank king? He cried when a pigeon pooped on his bike seat.”
The girl wore a black tee with bold white letters: “Paranormal is Normal”. A DSLR hung from her neck like a badge of identity.
“Nithya,” she said, offering a handshake. “Ghost blogger. Roommate in the girls’ wing. Don’t ask for notes — I only write horror.”
Sushanth smiled faintly. He hadn’t even entered the hostel yet, and already met two characters straight out of a web series.
The trio walked toward the admin block for ID registration. As they passed the main academic buildings, one stood out to Sushanth immediately.
E-Block.
Old. Abandoned. The paint peeled like it had seen storms and secrets. Shattered windows. No door.
But strangest of all — no birds. Not even a crow on the rooftop.
And on the wall, someone had spray-painted in blood-red:
“Do Not Disturb.”
He felt a shiver. Before he could ask about it, a ringtone broke the silence — shrill, echoing. He turned. No one had their phone out.
The sound cut off abruptly.
Had it even played?
Inside the Admin Block
Students registered their details in queues. A bored clerk clicked through entries, muttering roll numbers.
When it was Sushanth’s turn, the clerk squinted at the screen.
“Strange,” he said. “Your seat allotment… it’s not matching our central system. Looks like you were—”
Another clerk leaned over, interrupting quickly.
“It’s fine. Just update it manually.”
The first one frowned but complied. Moments later, Sushanth’s ID card slid into his hand — printed, official.
Name: Sushanth Reddy Branch: CSE-A Roll No: 23RK05C12 Room: 2C-34 Status: Confirmed
“Welcome to RKIT,” the clerk said flatly. “Just don’t roam near the E-Block after dark. Network issues.”
Sushanth frowned. “What kind of network issues?”
No answer.
That Night
The hostel echoed with laughter. Sushanth sat on the top bunk, watching Arjun paste glow-in-the-dark memes on the wall.
“This one glows brighter than my career options,” Arjun said, sticking up a meme of a ghost holding a report card.
Nithya leaned against the door, munching Maggi. “You know about E-Block?”
Sushanth shook his head.
“It’s dead,” Arjun said. “Like my attendance last year. They say students went missing there. Faculty too.”
“Ghost stories?” Sushanth asked.
“More like… signal stories,” Nithya replied, her tone dropping. “No one has signal there. Not even Jio or Airtel. It’s a dead zone.”
“And people say… you hear ringtones inside,” Arjun added in a whisper.
Sushanth gave a nervous laugh.
“You guys are messing with me.”
Nithya didn’t smile. She looked at her phone, then at him and said:
“Tell me honestly. Did you choose this college? Or were you... sent here?”
Silence.
Sushanth looked away.
Somewhere outside, past the window, the E-Block stood — quiet, cold, and watching.
And from the dark… a faint ringtone echoed in the wind again. This time, he didn’t imagine it.
