The storm hit with frightening speed.
One moment the group was standing near the cliffside viewpoint, arguing about whether Aryan had actually gotten lost in a shopping mall or was simply too stubborn to ask for directions.
The next, the sky turned black.
Rain crashed down in sheets so dense that the ocean disappeared behind a curtain of water.
"Okay, that's not normal," Dev muttered, trying and failing to shield his camera.
A violent gust of wind nearly knocked Annu off balance before Deep caught her arm.
"Everyone move!" he shouted. "Now!"
The group immediately abandoned any thoughts of sightseeing.
The pathway had become dangerous within minutes. Water rushed down the stone steps, and visibility dropped so badly they could barely see ten meters ahead.
Thunder exploded overhead.
Kritika actually screamed.
Aryan looked at her.
"You screamed."
"You screamed too."
"Mine was masculine."
"It sounded exactly like mine."
Despite everything, a few laughs escaped.
Mostly because everyone was trying very hard not to panic.
Then Wick pointed toward the hill.
"There."
Through the storm, a large structure stood against the darkness.
Old.
Weathered.
Alone.
At this point nobody cared if it belonged to ghosts.
It had walls.
That was enough.
---
The climb wasn't easy.
By the time they reached the building, everyone was soaked.
A rusted plaque hung beside the entrance.
Most of the words had faded with time.
Only fragments remained.
Colonial Survey House.
1887.
Protected Historical Structure.
"Sounds welcoming," Dipanshu said.
"You're still going inside."
"Absolutely."
---
The interior was surprisingly intact.
Dust covered almost every surface, but the roof still held.
The main hall was enormous, supported by thick wooden beams darkened by age. Large windows lined the walls, many covered by wooden boards that rattled whenever the wind struck them.
The building smelled of damp wood and forgotten history.
For a few minutes, everyone focused on practical problems.
Dry clothes.
Water bottles.
Checking phones.
Searching desperately for a signal.
None existed.
Not a single bar.
---
Deep was already moving.
He grabbed a flashlight from his backpack and looked toward Dipanshu.
"Come on."
Dipanshu immediately stood.
"Checking the building?"
"Checking the building."
Wick joined them without being asked.
The three had naturally fallen into that role days ago.
Protectors.
Problem solvers.
The people everyone looked toward when things went wrong.
---
They spent nearly twenty minutes exploring.
The ground floor contained old offices, storage rooms, and what appeared to have once been a library.
The upper floor was mostly empty.
Several rooms remained locked.
A staircase led further down into darkness.
Nobody liked that staircase.
Especially Wick.
Something about it felt wrong.
Not dangerous.
Not yet.
Just wrong.
---
When they returned, the rest of the group had gathered in the main hall.
Aryan sat on an old wooden desk.
Kritika was trying to make him get down.
Varsha had somehow started recording videos despite the situation.
Dev continued searching for signal with the determination of a man fighting destiny itself.
And Shristi sat quietly near one of the windows.
Watching the rain.
---
Prishka noticed her immediately.
Over the past few days, she'd developed the habit of checking on her sister every few minutes.
At first it had been concern.
Now it felt necessary.
---
"You okay?" Prishka asked, sitting beside her.
Shristi blinked.
Almost as if she'd forgotten where she was.
Then she smiled.
"Yeah."
The answer sounded normal.
But something about it wasn't.
Prishka couldn't explain why.
Hours passed.
The storm refused to weaken.
If anything, it grew stronger.
Rain hammered against the walls continuously.
The old building groaned beneath the wind.
By late afternoon, everyone had accepted they weren't leaving anytime soon.
It was Sonal who broke the uneasy calm.
She had been standing near one of the boarded windows for several minutes.
Completely still.
Completely silent.
Eventually Dipanshu noticed.
"Sonal?"
No response.
He frowned.
"Sonal."
This time she looked at him.
"What?"
"You've been staring at that wall for five minutes."
Her expression shifted.
Confusion.
Then concern.
"I thought I heard something."
"Hear what?" Deep asked.
Sonal glanced toward the storm outside.
"A woman singing."
The room became noticeably quieter.
Nobody said anything for a moment.
Then Aryan forced a laugh.
"In this weather?"
Sonal frowned.
"I know what I heard."
Dipanshu looked toward Wick.
Wick looked toward Prishka.
Neither liked that answer.
Because they remembered.
The singing.
The voices.
The dreams.
The pattern was continuing.
As evening approached, the building grew darker.
The storm blocked most natural light.
Shadows stretched across the old hallways.
The atmosphere felt heavier.
More oppressive.
As though the building itself was waiting.
Prishka felt it first.
A strange sensation.
Like being watched.
She turned sharply.
Nothing.
Only empty corridors.
Dust.
Darkness.
Yet the feeling remained.
Across the room, Wick was experiencing the same thing.
He couldn't explain it.
But every instinct he possessed was screaming.
Something was wrong.
Something was close.
Then Varsha frowned.
"Where's Shristi?"
The question immediately cut through every conversation.
Prishka looked toward the window.
Empty.
The chair where Shristi had been sitting moments ago stood abandoned.
"Bathroom maybe?" Aryan suggested.
Nobody moved.
Five minutes passed.
Then ten.
She didn't return.
The tension returned immediately.
This time stronger.
---
Wick stood first.
Deep followed.
Dipanshu was already grabbing a flashlight.
"We'll check upstairs," Deep said.
Prishka immediately stood.
"I'm coming."
Nobody argued.
The four split from the group and moved deeper into the building.
The upper floor felt different at night.
Long corridors.
Peeling wallpaper.
Broken furniture.
Every footstep echoed.
Then Wick stopped.
"What is it?" Deep asked.
Wick didn't answer immediately.
He was listening.
Faintly.
Very faintly.
A voice.
Not singing.
Talking.
Somewhere ahead.
The sound led them toward the oldest section of the building.
A corridor they'd somehow missed earlier.
At the end stood a wooden door.
Ancient.
Covered in faded symbols.
The door was open.
Slowly, Wick pushed it wider.
The room beyond looked like some kind of abandoned prayer chamber.
A cracked stone altar sat at the center.
Dust covered everything.
Water dripped from the ceiling.
And standing in front of the altar—
Was Shristi.
Her back faced them.
She stood perfectly still.
Not moving.
Not reacting.
"Shristi."
Wick's voice echoed softly through the room.
No response.
Deep stepped forward.
"Shris?"
Still nothing.
Then slowly...
Very slowly...
She turned around.
Prishka's heart stopped.
Because the smile on her sister's face wasn't hers.
It was too calm.
Too distant.
As if she were listening to something nobody else could hear.
The necklace hung around her neck once more.
The green pendant seemed darker than before.
Almost alive.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
None of them had put it there.
"Shristi."
Wick took a step forward.
Her eyes finally met his.
For a moment—
Just a moment—
Something flickered across her face.
Fear.
Real fear.
Then she looked past him.
Toward an empty corner of the room.
And whispered:
"No."
Silence.
Nobody moved.
"No."
This time her voice trembled.
Prishka felt her stomach drop.
Because Shristi wasn't talking to them.
She was talking to someone else.
Someone standing where nobody stood.
Wick followed her gaze.
There was nothing there.
Only darkness.
Only dust.
Only shadows.
Then Shristi took another step backward.
As though something had moved closer.
Tears filled her eyes.
"Please stop."
The words barely left her mouth.
A violent gust of wind slammed through the building.
The door behind them crashed shut.
And somewhere inside the room—
Something laughed.
Not loudly.
Not clearly.
Just enough for all four of them to hear it.
Prishka felt her blood run cold.
Because the sound hadn't come from Shristi.
It had come from somewhere beside her.
Somewhere empty.
Somewhere impossible.
Then suddenly—
Shristi blinked.
The distant look vanished from her eyes.
"Prishka?"
Her voice cracked.
For the first time in days, she sounded completely like herself.
Prishka froze.
"Shris?"
Fear flooded Shristi's face.
Raw.
Panicked.
As though she had just woken from a nightmare.
"Wick..."
She looked at him desperately.
"You need to leave."
Nobody moved.
"W-What?" Deep asked.
Shristi shook her head violently.
"It's getting stronger."
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"I can't stop it anymore."
The room fell silent.
Because every word sounded genuine.
Every word sounded terrified.
She looked toward Prishka.
Then Wick.
Then Deep and Dipanshu.
Almost as if she was trying to memorize their faces.
And somehow—
That scared Prishka more than anything else.
For the first time since this nightmare began,
Wick looked afraid.
Not for himself.
For her. But he knew if he let fear take on then there's no going back. Defeat is certain.
"Shristi..."
Wick stepped forward.
Immediately she backed away.
"No!"
The force in her voice stopped everyone.
For a second she pressed both hands against her head.
As if fighting something.
As if struggling against a voice nobody else could hear.
"No..."
Her breathing became uneven.
"No, please..."
"Again?" Deep said.
Then she screamed.
The sound echoed through the chamber.
The necklace flashed.
Every candle in the room extinguished at once.
Darkness swallowed everything.
And when the light returned a second later—
The tears were gone.
The fear was gone.
Shristi slowly lowered her hands.
A smile spread across her face.
Slow.
Calm.
Wrong.
This time there was nothing human behind it.
Nothing familiar.
Something else was looking through her eyes.
Then she looked directly at Wick.
And spoke.
"Now we can finally talk."
The voice that came out wasn't hers.
It was older.
Colder.
And completely unfamiliar.
Beside Wick, Dipanshu muttered quietly,
"Okay... that's definitely not her."
Nobody disagreed.
She smiled.
Wide.
Calm.
Evil.
Cold.
"You're too late."
A violent gust of wind slammed through the building.
The door behind them crashed shut.
And for the first time since finding the necklace—
The thing inside finally spoke.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
The storm seemed to fade into the background.
Because every person in the room felt the same thing.
Whatever was standing in front of them—
It wasn't Shristi anymore.
The smile widened slightly.
Not enough to look unnatural.
Just enough to feel wrong.
Wick was the first to recover.
"Give her back."
The words came out calm.
Cold.
The thing wearing Shristi's face laughed softly.
"You ask as if she belongs to you."
Deep took a step forward immediately.
"Careful."
Wick didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't look away.
The entity seemed amused by that.
Its gaze shifted between the four of them.
Studying.
Judging.
Learning.
Then it stopped on Prishka.
For the first time, the smile faltered.
Only slightly.
Recognition.
Prishka noticed it too.
"You know me."
The entity tilted its head.
"Unfortunately."
The answer sent a chill through the room.
Deep and Dipanshu exchanged a glance.
Neither liked that.
Not one bit.
Then the entity looked toward the cracked altar behind it.
Its fingers brushed lightly across the stone surface.
Almost affectionately.
"This place."
It smiled.
"So many promises."
Nobody understood what that meant.
Except perhaps the thing itself.
Wick's jaw tightened.
"What do you want?"
The entity looked at him.
For several seconds, it simply stared.
Then it smiled again.
A sad smile this time.
Almost pitying.
"That's the wrong question."
Thunder exploded outside.
The entire building trembled.
"The question is..."
Its gaze drifted toward the storm beyond the broken windows.
"...what happens when she stops fighting?"
Silence.
Deep felt his stomach tighten.
Because that wasn't an answer.
It was a warning.
The entity turned and slowly walked toward one of the broken windows.
Rain sprayed through the cracks.
The wind tugged at Shristi's hair.
Yet she didn't seem to notice.
Or care.
"When I found her..."
The entity spoke softly.
"...she was already listening."
Prishka froze.
The singing.
The dreams.
The voices.
It had been there longer than they thought.
Much longer.
"You've been calling her."
Prishka said quietly.
The entity smiled without turning around.
"Calling?"
A soft laugh escaped it.
"No."
It finally looked back at them.
"She came to me."
The room fell silent.
Because for a second—
Nobody knew if that was a lie.
Or the truth.
Then suddenly the smile vanished.
Completely.
The temperature in the room dropped.
Every shadow seemed to deepen.
The entity's eyes locked onto Wick.
And for the first time—
The amusement disappeared.
Only anger remained.
Ancient.
Patient.
Terrifying.
"You should have left when I gave you the chance."
The words echoed through the chamber.
The building groaned.
The storm outside intensified.
And somewhere beneath the floorboards—
Something knocked.
Once.
Deep.
Slow.
Every person in the room heard it.
Then again.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
From below.
From the darkness beneath the old survey house.
The entity smiled.
A genuine smile.
And whispered:
"Time to rise."
The knocking immediately stopped.
The silence that followed was somehow worse.
To be continued…