The clock struck 12 noon again.
U stood outside the old blue house, my heart beating faster than it had the day before. The wooden door was still lightly open - just like before. The strange part? She clearly remembered closing it when she had left.
A cold breeze brushed past her.
The silence was heavier this time .
She stepped inside.
The hallway felt darker, even though sunlight streamed through the broken windows. The walls seemed closer, as if the house itself was watching her. Her footsteps echoed loudly - tap...tap...tap ..
Then she noticed the something new.
At the end of the hallway, a door that had been plain and dusty yesterday now had a symbol carved into it - a circle with a line through the centre.
Her breath caught.
"That wasn't walked before," she whispered.
She slowly walked toward it. The air felt colder with each steps. When she touched the doorknob, it was freezing.
Locked.
Suddenly -
Click.
The sound came from behind her.
She turned sharply.
The main door had slammed shut.
I ran back, trying the handle. It wouldn't open
She pulled harder. Nothing.
My mobile phone buzzed.
She almost dropped it .
Unknown number:
" You came back".
Her fingers trembled.
She typed quickly:
Who is this?
Three dots appeared instantly.
"You shouldn't have opened it yesterday."
Her stomach twisted.
Opened what?
No reply.
Instead the lights flickered.
And then-
A slow creaking sound came from the Locked Room behind her.
She turned.
The carved door was slightly open now.
But she hadn't touched it.
Darkness spilled out from the crack like smoke. She felt something pulling her towards it- not physically, but mentally. Like a
Whisper inside her mind .
Come in .
She shook her head .
"No."
Her phone buzzed again.
"It's waiting"
The door creaked wider.
Inside, she could see a staircase going downward.
Down into the complete darkness.
Her heart pounded so loudly she could hear it in her ears. She knew she should try harder to escape.
But something felt stronger than fear.
Curiosity.
Slowly... carefully...she stepped towards the open doorway.
The air inside smelled old - like something forgotten.
She switched on her phone flashlight and pointed it down the stairs.
The light flickered.
For a second, she thought she saw something move at the bottom.
A shadow.
Not her shadow.
Something else.
Her phone screen suddenly turned black.
Battery:1%
" What ? It was at 60%she gasped.
Before she could react, the screen died.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then-
A voice echoed from below.
Soft.
Calm.
Familiar.
"Astha"
Her blood froze.
It sounded exactly like her own voice.
From downstairs.
And then the door behind her slammed shut.
She was trapped inside the locked room.
And she was no longer alone.
To be continued.