"THE FORGOTTEN ONES"

Chilling Discoveries

What is death to you? Is it when your body turns to ashes, or when your soul leaves it and moves to another dimension? It's a terrifying truth that everyone will die one day; nothing remains forever. But perhaps they return in another form, while a few may travel to different universes. Each universe has its own laws of nature and life cycle, but the end of one life is inevitable.

The hospital staff who first discovered the bodies were instantly consumed by a profound sense of horror. One nurse, trembling with shock, felt her breath hitch as the gruesome sight burned itself into her memory. Desperate to seek help, she reached for the phone to alert the manager on duty, but an eerie silence hung in the air as she realized that every staff member on the floor seemed to be unnaturally asleep. Panic surged through her veins as she shook the manager awake, her voice choked with fear. Together, their hands trembling, they reported the macabre scene to the Police Control Room (PCR).

By 8:00 AM, officers from the local PCR unit arrived, their faces set with grim determination. The air was thick with tension as they immediately filed an FIR, marking the start of a long, harrowing investigation. The officers then began the arduous task of relocating the patients, their efforts hampered by the unnerving fact that some had succumbed to death shortly after witnessing the bodies—deaths that seemed almost synchronized with the horrifying discovery. The eerie timing sent chills down their spines: one patient had passed during the dead of night, and two more in the aftermath of the gruesome find. Among the shaken survivors was Yamini, who, along with others, was moved to another room on the same floor, their fates now entangled in a web of dread as they awaited the arrival of police investigators. They were instructed to stay put, fear gripping their hearts as the minutes ticked by slowly, each second more agonizing than the last.

By 8:30 AM, the situation had escalated to a crisis. Senior officers, their expressions darkened by the gravity of the case, arrived on the scene, fully aware that the horrors unfolding before them required meticulous care. The head constable, his voice steady but laced with tension, immediately called for additional backup. With over six bodies already discovered, the officers understood that any misstep could jeopardize crucial evidence. Hospital security guards, now on high alert, were instructed to seal the main entrance, barring all entry except for those with life-threatening emergencies. Aditya, a junior officer with nerves of steel, received this as his first order. His mind raced, trying to comprehend the scale of the unfolding disaster.

The sheer scale of the hospital, housing over 800 patients, transformed the situation into a logistical nightmare. Aditya, his heart pounding, felt the weight of responsibility settle heavily on his shoulders. The risk of riots and protests from grieving families loomed large, threatening to tip the fragile balance into chaos. With every passing moment, Aditya fought to maintain order, his mind a whirlwind of strategies to keep both patients and their anxious families from spiraling into panic. His voice, though firm, wavered slightly as he gave instructions, his resolve tested by the mounting pressure.

Yamini's hands trembled as she dialed her parents' numbers over and over, each unanswered call intensifying the dread curling in her chest. Her younger brother finally picked up, his voice tinged with concern as he urged her to stay calm. "You'll be able to leave soon, didi. Just don't do anything rash. Come straight home once you're out, okay?" His words were meant to soothe, but the tremor in his voice betrayed his own fear, leaving Yamini clutching the phone, her heart heavy with unspoken worries.

As the local police continued their grim search, the death toll climbed to six, a fact that spread through the hospital like wildfire, igniting panic among both patients and staff. The police issued a directive to the hospital staff, demanding full cooperation and immediate reporting of any missing individuals. Yet despite their best efforts to contain the information, whispers of the rising body count filtered through the wards, fanning the flames of terror as dust and debris began to stir in the tense air.