Chapter 1
Scene 1 — The Year Something Changed
It was our last year of school, and because of that, nothing felt serious.
We laughed louder. Played longer during lunch. Broke rules without caring. The future felt far away, like something meant for older people.
That afternoon, the school announced a half-day.
Nothing unusual. Just a short break before exams. Most students were staying back. Teachers were still busy. The buses were scheduled to run as usual.
The four of us were leaving early.
Uday.
Rihansh.
Param.
And me.
We had planned a short trip. Nothing big. Just enough to feel free.
During lunch, we were still playing when the bell rang. Someone kicked the ball one last time. We picked up our bags and started walking back.
That’s when I noticed the sky.
It didn’t change suddenly.
It bled.
Blue thinning into a dull red, like rust spreading across metal. Not bright. Not dramatic.
Just wrong.
“Looks like a horror movie,” Param joked.
“Probably pollution,” Rihansh said.
Teachers didn’t react. The bell rang again.
So we ignored it.
---
When we came back, the town was silent.
Not quiet — empty.
We stood at the bus stop out of habit. No buses came. No cars passed. The roads were clean, untouched, like nothing had moved for days.
We walked to school.
The buses weren’t there.
Not parked.
Not late.
Not broken.
Gone.
The gates stood open. Lights were still on inside.
Classrooms were exactly how we had left them — chairs pushed in, chalk half-used, bags still hanging. Timetables written neatly on the boards.
No students.
No teachers.
The staff room was empty. The office phones rang unanswered. An attendance register lay open on a desk, unfinished — as if someone had stood up and never returned.
Our footsteps echoed too loudly.
“They were here,” Param whispered. “We left early.”
I turned to Uday. “Check the time.”
He pulled out his phone. No signal. The screen hesitated.
Then it loaded.
“The bell,” he said slowly.
“What about it?”
“It rang… four days ago.”
Rihansh shook his head. “That’s not possible. It feels like five minutes.”
Before anyone could speak—
The bell rang.
Sharp. Clean. Perfect.
The sound rolled through empty corridors and a town with no people.
The bell wasn’t calling anyone.
It was telling us something.
Time hadn’t stopped.
It had moved on without us.
And whatever had changed in this place
had noticed that we were back
