The singing stopped as suddenly as it had begun.
One moment it drifted through the storm like a distant lullaby.
The next—
Nothing.
Only rain.
Only wind.
Only silence.
Prishka remained standing near the window for several seconds, staring into the darkness beyond the glass. Her heartbeat refused to slow down.
Because this wasn't something Shristi had imagined.
This wasn't a dream.
She had heard it too.
"Tell me you heard that."
Shristi's voice was barely above a whisper.
Prishka slowly nodded.
For the first time since arriving, fear crossed her face openly.
"Yeah."
Neither of them slept much after that.
---
By morning, the weather hadn't improved.
Dark clouds still hung over the ocean.
The sea looked violent.
Restless.
As though something beneath the surface was trying to wake up.
Breakfast was unusually quiet.
Not because nobody wanted to talk.
Because everyone was tired.
The last few nights had drained them.
Even Aryan seemed less energetic.
Though only slightly.
"I had a dream."
He announced dramatically.
Dipanshu sighed.
"Please don't."
"I was being chased by a giant crab."
Nobody reacted.
Aryan looked offended.
"Guys, that's traumatic."
Deep took a bite of toast.
"The crab probably got tired of listening to you."
The table laughed.
Even Aryan.
For a moment, the atmosphere lightened.
Then Wick noticed something.
Shristi wasn't eating.
She sat staring at her plate.
Fork motionless in her hand.
Lost somewhere far away.
"Angel."
No response.
Wick frowned.
"Shristi."
She blinked.
Suddenly aware.
"What?"
"You've been staring at bread for five minutes."
A few people chuckled.
Shristi forced a smile.
"Sorry."
But the smile disappeared quickly.
Because the truth was...
She couldn't remember what she'd been thinking about.
And that scared her.
Across the table, Prishka noticed the same thing.
Again.
Another missing moment.
Another blank space.
---
After breakfast, Wick gathered Deep, Dipanshu, and Prishka on one of the hotel balconies away from the others.
The rain had softened into a steady drizzle. Beyond the railing, the ocean stretched endlessly beneath dark clouds, grey and restless.
For a few moments, nobody spoke.
The sound of waves filled the silence.
Finally, Wick broke it.
"We're running out of time. I can't just sit and wait while she's getting worse."
Deep leaned against the railing.
"You're talking like we've already lost."
"I'm talking like things are getting worse every day."
Nobody argued.
Because he wasn't wrong.
Two days ago it had been nightmares.
Then voices.
Then the balcony.
Now even Prishka was hearing things.
Prishka folded her arms tightly.
"I heard the singing."
Deep immediately looked toward her.
"You never mentioned that."
"Because I wasn't sure."
She glanced toward the ocean.
"But I am now."
The seriousness in her voice made Deep's expression harden.
For the first time, the problem wasn't limited to Shristi.
Something was spreading.
Dipanshu ran a hand through his hair.
"Okay. Let's say the singing is real. Let's say the fisherman wasn't completely crazy. Then what?"
"We find out what we're dealing with," Wick replied.
"And if we don't?"
Wick looked toward the waves crashing below.
"Then we're waiting for it to make the next move."
Nobody liked that answer.
Because lately, every move it made was stronger than the last.
Dipanshu sighed heavily.
"Whatever you're planning, I'm in."
Deep nodded.
"Same."
Prishka didn't say anything.
She simply looked at Wick.
The silent understanding between them was enough.
Wick straightened.
"Deep, stay with the group."
Deep frowned immediately.
"Why me?"
"Because if something happens while we're gone, you're the person I trust most to handle it."
Deep wanted to argue.
Instead, he looked away.
Because he knew Wick meant it.
"And Dipanshu," Wick continued, "keep an eye on Sonal and Shristi."
Dipanshu blinked.
"Why Sonal?"
A brief silence followed.
Then Prishka answered quietly.
"Because something feels wrong."
The words hung in the air.
Nobody laughed.
Nobody dismissed it.
Because all of them had noticed it.
Sonal's staring.
The distance in her eyes.
The way she seemed to be listening to something nobody else could hear.
Dipanshu nodded slowly.
"Got it."
For the first time that morning, the conversation felt less like speculation.
And more like preparation.
---
For the next few hours, they split their efforts.
Not recklessly.
Not alone.
Never alone.
Deep stayed with the group.
Dipanshu remained close to Sonal and Shristi.
Though he wanted to join the investigation, he understood why Wick wanted someone reliable at the hotel.
Around noon, Varsha found Shristi sitting beneath a covered café awning.
Watching the rain.
Not the ocean.
Just the rain.
"You okay?"
Shristi nodded.
Then shook her head.
Varsha sat beside her.
For a while neither spoke.
Finally Shristi sighed.
"I miss when the biggest problem on this trip was Aryan."
Varsha laughed.
"That is still a problem."
For the first time all day, Shristi smiled.
A real one.
Then it faded.
"I don't remember half of last night."
Varsha's smile disappeared too.
Neither of them knew what to say after that.
Meanwhile, Wick and Prishka returned to the old fishing district.
The same place they'd visited the previous day.
The rain had emptied most of the streets.
Only locals remained.
Shopkeepers.
Fishermen.
Old men sitting beneath awnings.
Watching the weather.
Watching the sea.
Eventually they found the old fisherman again.
The man seemed almost disappointed to see them.
As though he'd expected them to return.
"You didn't listen."
Wick crossed his arms.
"We need answers."
The fisherman studied both of them carefully.
Then his gaze settled on Prishka.
Longer than necessary.
"You hear things now?"
Prishka froze.
The old man sighed.
"Thought so."
Wick stepped forward.
"What do you know?"
The fisherman looked toward the ocean.
"There's a story."
Neither interrupted.
"Long before this town existed, ships disappeared near these waters."
The rain continued falling around them.
"Some people claimed they heard singing."
Prishka's stomach tightened.
The old man continued.
"They followed the sound."
"And?" Wick asked.
"They never came back."
Silence.
The fisherman rubbed his hands together.
"The sea doesn't always take bodies."
His eyes met theirs.
"Sometimes it takes souls."
A cold breeze passed through the harbor.
"The sea isn't your enemy."
His gaze shifted toward the photograph of the necklace.
"That thing is."
He pointed at the pendant.
"It was said centuries ago there was a woman who wore a necklace just like that. She drowned during a storm. Her body was never found."
The fisherman looked back toward the sea.
"But after her death, ships began disappearing."
Neither Wick nor Prishka spoke.
"The sailors who survived talked about voices in the fog."
His voice lowered.
"About a woman singing from the water."
The rain seemed louder now.
"Heard enough stories growing up to know one thing."
He looked directly at them.
"Some things die."
A pause.
"And some things refuse to."
Neither Wick nor Prishka spoke.
Because something about the way he said it felt less like folklore...
And more like memory.
---
Back at the hotel, things weren't going much better.
Dipanshu found Sonal standing alone beneath a covered walkway overlooking the beach.
Rain sprayed lightly across the stone floor.
She was staring toward the ocean again.
Always the ocean.
"You know," Dipanshu said as he approached, "normal people usually blink."
Sonal looked at him.
"What?"
"You've been staring at the water for like ten minutes."
A faint smile appeared.
"You've been counting?"
"Unfortunately."
For the first time since yesterday, she actually laughed.
A real laugh.
And somehow...
That worried him even more.
Because it felt forced.
Like someone remembering how to act human.
---
That evening, another storm rolled in.
Stronger this time.
The hotel lights flickered twice during dinner.
Nobody liked that.
Especially after everything that had already happened.
By midnight, most of the group had retreated to their rooms.
The weather had become violent.
Rain hammered the windows.
Thunder rolled across the coastline.
The entire building creaked occasionally beneath the wind.
Inside Room 312, Varsha was asleep again.
Prishka sat awake near the window.
Shristi lay in bed pretending to sleep.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence stretched.
Then—
A soft humming filled the room.
Prishka sat upright instantly.
Her eyes snapped toward Shristi.
The humming continued.
Low.
Melodic.
Ancient.
And it was coming from Shristi.
Her eyes remained closed.
Her breathing steady.
She was still asleep.
Yet the melody continued.
The exact same song from the night before.
Prishka's blood turned cold.
Because Shristi wasn't hearing it anymore.
She was singing it.
Outside, thunder shook the sky.
Inside, the song continued.
Soft.
Beautiful.
Wrong.
And somewhere beyond the storm...
Something answered.
To be continued…