The next morning, Sameer called his friends and asked to meet them. They decided to gather behind Lord Shiva's temple in the small park — two hours later.
Sameer nodded after the call and hung up.
Two hours later, when he reached the spot, he found no one there. A thought struck his mind — maybe they're inside the temple. They were all huge devotees of Lord Shiva, especially Dev.
As he walked towards the temple gate, he saw his friends coming out after praying. Aman, the group leader, noticed Sameer and said,
"Go inside and pray, bro. We're waiting for you at the back."
Sameer nodded and entered the temple. After finishing his prayer, he joined the group behind the temple.
In his mind, Sameer thought:
This is my squad. My group. Or maybe… my family.
Aman — the leader. Quiet, humble, always protecting the group… and anyone weak. He's got insane fighting skills.
Dev — the clown of our gang. Always smiling, always joking. The kind of guy who can't stand seeing anyone sad. He's my best friend.
Arjun — the mysterious one. Cold, unreadable, always farming that badass aura. Feels like family, but no one really knows him yet.
Rishi — our cameraman. Always with his camera or video recorder. Says one day, he'll be a world-class filmmaker.
Then there's Rohit and Kabir — like twin brothers. Rohit's the nerd, always buried in books. The class topper. Kabir? A full-time anime lover. Constantly talking about characters, themes, and stories.
Sameer finally spoke up, "I don't know if you'll believe what I'm about to say..."
Dev jumped in immediately.
"Oh no, don't tell me! Our dumb Sameer finally got a girlfriend?"
Everyone burst out laughing.
"Dev, not funny bro. Just listen — seriously," Sameer said.
Dev raised his hands in surrender and nodded.
Sameer began,
"Last night, while I was returning from Kabir's house, I took that shortcut near our old school — the abandoned one. I just wanted to get home faster.
As I passed the street next to the school, I saw something. A skinny figure with glowing red eyes… standing in one of the classrooms. And I swear, it felt like he was staring directly into my soul."
Dev interrupted with a grin,
"He probably couldn't believe how dumb you are. Stared too hard and short-circuited his ghost brain."
Aman cut in, serious now.
"Dev. No jokes. Sameer's not the type to make this stuff up. If he's saying this… it's real."
Dev fell silent.
Sameer continued,
"I ignored it and kept walking… but he kept appearing — in different classrooms. Like he was teleporting or something. I couldn't understand it. Then flashes of our old school filled my mind — screaming students, blood everywhere, news reports about supernatural activity…
And then…
The old church bell rang."
Everyone went silent.
"It was exactly midnight," Sameer added, "I checked my watch."
Aman nodded, "Sameer… you're not alone. I've heard rumors — people saying they saw something there. But no one ever described it like you did."
Kabir said, "Bro... this sounds like some anime main villain entrance!"
Dev laughed, "Yeah! And Sameer's that random NPC who keeps getting bullied by him!"
They both chuckled.
Rohit, frowning, added,
"I've heard that people who go near the school get scared or attacked… but this thing didn't harm you. It just kept watching you. Like it saw something in you."
Rishi said thoughtfully,
"Maybe… it's just trying to scare people away."
Rohit shook his head,
"If that was the case, why didn't it try to scare Sameer away too?"
Suddenly, from the corner, Arjun — arms crossed — spoke in a cold tone,
"…What if… it doesn't want Sameer to leave?
Or maybe…
It's calling us into the school."
A sudden chill swept over them. The air grew still.
Rohit, nervous, said, "Wait… us? Bro, this happened to Sameer alone!"
Aman looked serious,
"I think what Arjun is saying… is maybe we should go together. Check it out ourselves."
Dev grinned, "Hell yeah! I wanna see who's trying to scare my dumb bestie."
Everyone nodded in agreement — thumbs up all around. Except Arjun, still leaning in the shadows. His eyes glowed faint red… and he smirked eerily.
No one noticed.
Sameer, nervous, said,
"Guys, are we really doing this? What if it's dangerous?"
Dev placed a hand on his shoulder,
"We're together, bro. Whatever's out there — we'll face it as a team."
Aman spoke with calm confidence,
"Then it's decided. Tonight… we go back. We'll meet outside the main gate of our old school at 11:30 p.m. sharp.
Let's get ready."