The rain had not stopped for three days.
It fell like something alive—thick, relentless, and angry—drumming against the windows of the bus as it crawled through the empty road. Inside, Arjun Sen sat alone, his fingers wrapped tightly around a small, rusted key.
He hadn't spoken a word since boarding.
The driver had tried once.
"Last stop is near the old Mukherjee house," the man said, glancing at him through the rearview mirror. "You sure you want to get down there?"
Arjun didn't answer.
Because if he spoke… he might change his mind.
And he couldn't afford that.
Not after the letter.
The letter had arrived three days ago.
No return address. No stamp. Just his name written in a shaky handwriting that made his skin crawl.
Inside, only one sentence:
"It's waiting for you."
And the key.
The bus stopped with a sharp hiss.
"This is it," the driver muttered. "Nothing here but that old place."
Arjun stood up slowly. The bus felt colder now… or maybe it was just him.
As he stepped off, the rain hit him like ice.
The bus didn't wait. It left immediately.
Too quickly.
Almost like it didn't want to stay.
Ahead, through the curtain of rain, the house stood.
Tall.
Silent.
Watching.
The Mukherjee house.
It had been abandoned for over twenty years—ever since the night everyone in the family disappeared without a trace. No bodies. No clues.
Just… gone.
Arjun swallowed hard.
This is stupid, he told himself. Just a prank. Or some sick joke.
But his feet moved anyway.
Step by step.
Closer.
The gate creaked open before he touched it.
Arjun froze.
Wind, he thought immediately.
Just the wind.
But there was no wind.
Only rain.
Heavy.
Endless.
The front door stood slightly open.
That wasn't in the stories.
Slowly, Arjun pushed it.
The door groaned like it hadn't moved in years.
Inside—
Darkness.
Thick and suffocating.
The kind that didn't just hide things…
It felt like it was hiding something from you.
He stepped in.
And the door slammed shut behind him.
Arjun spun around, heart racing.
"Hello?!"
No answer.
Only the sound of rain… now distant.
Too distant.
Like he wasn't outside anymore.
Then—
A sound.
Upstairs.
A slow… dragging noise.
Like something heavy… being pulled across the floor.
Arjun's throat went dry.
"Someone there?" he called out.
Silence.
Then—
A whisper.
Soft.
Right behind him.
"…you came back…"
Arjun froze.
He hadn't turned yet.
He didn't want to.
Because deep down…
He already knew.
That whatever was standing behind him—
Was not human.
To be continued…