When fear crosses all limits, it transforms into rage. This is exactly what happened to Aryan. He knew that if he didn't act now, he would be killed.
He held his breath and mustered every ounce of his strength. Gripped tightly in his fist was a heavy metal flashlight. In a single motion, he spun around with lightning speed and swung the flashlight like a hammer, striking that 'thing' directly on the head.
"Crack!"
A sickening sound echoed, like bone shattering.
Aryan's aim was precise. The shadow's grip loosened, and it stumbled backward, collapsing into a dark corner. A strange, animalistic growl reverberated through the room.
Aryan was gasping for air, his heart pounding like a sledgehammer. With trembling hands, he raised the flashlight and aimed the beam directly into the corner where the 'thing' had fallen.
The sight he beheld shook him to his very core.
On the floor lay the "human" who had given him the key downstairs—the man who looked like Ramu Kaka. But Aryan's blow had torn the skin of his face on one side.
And beneath that torn skin, there was no blood or flesh... there was only black, withered wood!
It wasn't a human at all. It was a puppet or a mannequin, draped in Ramu Kaka's skin.
But the most terrifying part was that the puppet was still moving. Its jaw was unhinged and crooked, yet it was laughing.
The puppet lifted its twisted head, and a distorted voice emerged:
"You hurt me... now the game truly begins, Aryan."
Just then, the closed door of the room creaked open on its own. The dark corridor outside seemed to beckon Aryan, as if whispering—"Run if you can."
Aryan knew that staying in this room meant death, and beneath the window lay the corpse of the real Ramu Kaka. There was only one way out—through the door, into the dark corridor.
Clutching his flashlight, he sprinted towards the door and burst into the corridor. But the moment he stepped out, he heard the sound of a child crying coming from beneath the stairs.
"Help... Please, someone save me..."
Aryan froze in his tracks. The voice was unmistakably familiar. It was the voice of his little sister, Riya—who had died five years ago!
What happened next?