The rain had not stopped for three days.
It was the kind of rain that made the streets empty and the sky look permanently bruised. Streetlights flickered weakly through the fog like dying candles.
Arjun pulled his jacket tighter as he stepped out of the bus.
The driver didn't even wait for him to walk away before speeding off.
Now Arjun stood alone on the roadside.
Ahead of him stood Blackwood Industrial Factory.
A massive abandoned building.
Broken windows.
Rusty gates.
And a reputation that made locals avoid it after sunset.
Unfortunately for Arjun, the security company didn't care about local ghost stories.
They only cared that someone guarded the property.
And tonight…
that someone was him.
11:45 PM
Arjun entered the guard room and switched on the dusty bulb.
The light buzzed loudly.
The room smelled like old metal and damp paper.
On the table sat:
• A flashlight
• A walkie-talkie
• A register
• A CCTV monitor
The previous guard had written one last line in the register.
"If you hear footsteps upstairs… do not go."
Arjun scoffed.
"Nice joke," he muttered.
He had heard these tricks before. Old guards loved scaring new ones.
He sat down and poured tea from his flask.
Outside, thunder rolled across the sky.
Then—
CLANG.
Something metal fell inside the factory.
Arjun froze.
He looked at the CCTV screen.
Nothing.
Just long empty corridors.
Old machines.
Broken conveyor belts.
And darkness.
He relaxed again.
"Probably rats."
12:17 AM
The CCTV screen flickered.
One camera turned to static.
Then another.
Then another.
Soon only one camera was working.
Camera 7.
It showed the second floor hallway.
Arjun leaned closer.
Something felt… wrong.
The hallway lights were off.
But something moved.
A shadow crossed the camera.
Slowly.
Like someone walking.
But there was no one there.
12:21 AM
THUD.
Footsteps.
From upstairs.
Arjun looked toward the staircase.
Silence.
Then again.
THUD. THUD.
Heavy footsteps.
Like a man walking in boots.
Arjun felt goosebumps rise along his arms.
He grabbed the flashlight.
"Probably thieves," he whispered.
He started climbing the stairs.
Step by step.
The metal staircase creaked under his weight.
The factory above was completely dark.
Second Floor
The hallway stretched endlessly.
Rows of broken machines.
Loose hanging wires.
Dust thick like fog.
Arjun pointed the flashlight ahead.
Nothing.
But the sound returned.
THUD.
Behind him.
He turned instantly.
Empty hallway.
His heartbeat started racing.
Then he saw something on the floor.
Fresh footprints.
Wet.
Like someone had walked through rain.
But the prints stopped… in the middle of the hallway.
Just ended.
As if the person had vanished.
Arjun slowly stepped closer.
And then—
A voice whispered behind his ear.
"Why did you come up here?"
Arjun spun around.
No one.
The flashlight trembled in his hand.
His breathing became heavy.
He started walking back to the stairs.
Slowly.
Then faster.
Then running.
12:40 AM
Arjun slammed the guard room door shut.
His hands were shaking.
"This is stupid," he muttered.
"There is no ghost."
He looked back at the CCTV screen.
Camera 7 was still working.
And now…
Someone was standing in the hallway.
A tall man.
Completely still.
Head slightly tilted.
Watching the camera.
But the face was impossible to see.
Only darkness.
Arjun felt his throat go dry.
He whispered,
"Who the hell are you?"
The figure moved.
Not walking.
Sliding.
Straight toward the camera.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer.
Until the face filled the screen.
And suddenly—
The screen turned black.
1:03 AM
Arjun heard footsteps again.
But this time…
They were inside the guard room.
Behind him.
He slowly turned around.
And saw wet footprints forming on the floor.
One.
Then another.
Like invisible feet walking.
Closer.
Closer.
Until the footprints stopped right in front of him.
A cold breath touched his face.
And the whisper returned.
Soft.
Hungry.
"Now… it's your shift forever."
The light bulb exploded.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Outside, the rain kept falling.
The next morning…
When the new guard arrived…
The register had one new line written in shaky handwriting.
"If you hear footsteps upstairs… do not go."
But Arjun was nowhere to be found.