The rain hadn't stopped for three days.
It clung to the windows like restless fingers, tapping, scratching—begging to be let in. Neelam stood at the gate of the old house, her suitcase sinking slightly into the mud. The property had been abandoned for years, yet somehow, it looked… awake.
"This is it," she whispered to herself.
The broker had called it a "rare opportunity." Cheap, quiet, and perfect for someone who wanted solitude. He hadn't mentioned the strange smell in the air, or how the trees around the house leaned inward, as if watching.
Neelam pushed the rusted gate open. It groaned loudly, echoing through the empty yard. For a moment, she felt like she had disturbed something.
Something that didn't like being disturbed.
Inside, the house was colder than expected. Not the pleasant kind of cool, but a deep, unnatural chill that settled into her bones.
"Probably just damp walls," she muttered, trying to sound logical.
Her footsteps echoed as she walked through the hallway. The wooden floor creaked beneath her weight, each step sounding louder than it should. The walls were covered in faded wallpaper, peeling like old skin.
Then she noticed it.
A door at the end of the hallway.
It was different.
Unlike the other doors, this one was completely black. No handle. No lock. Just a smooth, dark surface that seemed to absorb light.
Neelam frowned. "Weird."
She walked closer. The air around the door felt heavier, thicker—like it was harder to breathe. She raised her hand, hesitating for a moment before touching it.
The moment her fingers brushed the surface—
A whisper.
She froze.
"…help me…"
Neelam jerked her hand back.
"Hello?" she called out, her voice trembling slightly. "Is someone there?"
Silence.
Only the sound of rain.
She laughed nervously. "Great. First day and I'm already imagining things."
But deep inside, she knew—
She hadn't imagined it.
That night, the power went out.
The storm had grown worse, wind howling through the cracks of the house. Neelam sat on the bed in her room, holding her phone for light. The battery was at 12%.
"Perfect timing," she muttered.
Then—
Tap… tap… tap…
She looked up.
The sound wasn't coming from the window.
It was coming from the wall.
Slow. Rhythmic. Like someone knocking… from the other side.
Neelam stood up slowly, her heart pounding.
"Hello?" she whispered.
The tapping stopped.
For a moment, everything was still.
Then—
BANG.
She screamed, stumbling back as something hit the wall from inside. Dust fell from the ceiling. Her phone slipped from her hand, the light flickering as it hit the floor.
In the darkness, she could hear it.
Breathing.
Not hers.
Something was breathing… inside the walls.
Neelam grabbed her phone and rushed out of the room. "I'm not staying here," she said, panic rising in her chest. "No way."
She ran down the hallway, heading for the main door.
But then—
She stopped.
The black door.
It was open.
Just slightly.
A thin crack, wide enough to reveal complete darkness inside.
Neelam felt her throat go dry.
"I… I didn't open that."
The air around her grew colder. The whisper returned, clearer this time.
"…please…"
Her feet moved before her mind could stop them.
Step by step, she approached the door.
Every instinct screamed at her to run.
But the voice…
It sounded desperate.
Broken.
Human.
She reached the door and pushed it open slowly.
Inside, there was nothing.
Just darkness.
Endless, suffocating darkness.
Her phone's flashlight flickered as she pointed it inside. The beam of light barely cut through, as if something was swallowing it.
Then she saw it.
A staircase.
Going down.
The smell hit her first.
Rotten. Damp. Like something had been decaying for a long time.
Neelam covered her nose, hesitating at the top of the stairs.
"This is insane," she whispered. "I should leave."
But the whisper came again.
"…don't leave me…"
She swallowed hard.
"Who are you?" she asked, her voice shaking.
No answer.
Only silence.
And the faint sound of something… moving below.
Neelam took a step down.
The wood creaked loudly under her foot.
Another step.
Then another.
The darkness seemed to close in around her, the air growing colder with each step.
Halfway down, her phone's light flickered again.
And then—
It went out.
Complete darkness.
Neelam froze.
"Hello?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
For a moment, there was nothing.
Then—
Something touched her ankle.
Cold.
Wet.
And unmistakably—
Alive.
Neelam screamed, trying to pull her leg back, but whatever it was tightened its grip.
From the darkness below, a voice emerged.
Not weak anymore.
Not human.
But something twisted.
Something hungry.
"You came…"
To be continued…