Tom's ordinary life turns upside down, revealing secrets and terrors from a fateful rainy night. What drove his closest friends apart, and what lurks in the silence that followed?
We all knew that Reena's story had cleared the game straight away. But as the game demanded, everyone insisted that I tell a story. I was completely blank with fear. So, I explained my problem to them. Piu helped me with a clue. Despite my trembling body and nauseating, I managed to clear my throat and began the final story of the night.
One night, a weary traveller, exhausted from his long journey, rested beside a solitary tree. The night was pitch black, and the silence was so profound it felt almost tangible. The only sound breaking the silence was a dog barking in the distance. The traveler, used to such nocturnal noises, ignored it. As he sat, growing more fatigued, he noticed a man approaching.
The traveller hoped this stranger might offer some company and distract him from his solitude. The pedestrian called out, "Who are you, and why are you sitting here on such a dark night? This place can be dangerous after dark!"
The traveller replied, "I'm a traveller, tired from my journey. I'm resting here. It's nice to see someone else. Would you care to join me for some late-night conversation?"
The pedestrian replied, "Oh, certainly! I have no home, so I live here. It's a peaceful spot, though few pass by. Those who do usually sit in silence and then leave. I'm glad you're here; I'd be happy to keep you company."
They spent the night talking about various topics. As dawn broke, the traveller awoke to blinding sunlight. When he saw his surroundings, he gasped in fear: he had been sleeping on a grave in a cemetery.
Panic-stricken, he leapt up and fled.
That was the end of my story.
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As soon as I finished, Sayan burst out laughing. After a Herculean effort, he managed to control his laughter and told me, "Wow! After hearing Reena's story, I thought mine would be the worst in the game, but you proved me wrong." Even Reena laughed, saying, "How is that even a ghost story? It doesn't have any real sense of horror." Even Wasim and Piu also laughed at me but later appreciated my effort and gave me some tips for improvement.
The rain had finally stopped, leaving behind a thick, unsettling silence. There was still load shedding. The dim torch light flickered weakly, barely lighting the room as we all sat huddled, our nerves on edge. The stories had ended, but a strange weight hung in the air, making it hard to breathe.
Wasim sat staring at his phone, fiddling with it. The phone had been switched off long ago due to the low charge. His hands were shaking tensely, though he tried to hide it. Reena whispered something to Piu, and Sayan was unusually quiet, tapping his fingers on his knee in a restless rhythm.
Suddenly, the wail of a siren tore through the night. It was so loud and piercing that it rattled the windows, forcing us to cover our ears. The sound lasted for what felt like an eternity before abruptly cutting off, leaving an even more terrifying silence in its wake.
Then, out of nowhere, Wasim's phone rang.
The sharp ringtone was unnatural in the stillness, echoing through the room. Wasim's face was drained of colour. His phone, which had been dead, now blared a sound so loud it sent chills down my spine. We all stared at it, frozen in disbelief.
"No way... it was out of charge," Wasim stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.
Hesitant, he picked it up. The screen flickered as if struggling to function, then the call connected on its own, going straight to the speaker. A voice-deep and raspy, like it was coming from the bottom of a well-cut through the tension.
"Hello, Dad? It's Sama."
We all stiffened. Wasim's face turned ghostly pale, and his hands began to tremble uncontrollably. His eyes were wide with fear, and for a second, no one moved. No one breathed.
"Hello... Dad, it's Sama-"
Without warning, Wasim jerked his hand away from the phone like it had burned him. He swiped at the screen, his heart racing, his breath coming in short gasps. The call cut off abruptly as he backed away, his body slamming into the wall behind him.
"What the hell was that?" he whispered, his voice trembling, his face contorted with fear and disbelief.
The phone was silent again, dead like it had been all night. No one spoke. We were all too scared to move, too scared to ask what we had just heard.
Then came the scream from outside; as if It wasn't humane. Adrenaline surged through our veins, and I fainted from sheer terror. Everyone went outside to investigate, except Piu. She stayed with me until I regained consciousness. After some time, Sayan and my uncle (yes, my uncle had returned home after a week) came back silently and whispered to Piu, "Piu, get up slowly and come with us without making any noise!"
Piu was startled and asked. "But Tom...!"
"Shhh! Quiet!" my uncle whispered urgently, his tone heavy with both sadness and fear. "Just come and see."
Piu followed them outside, her heart pounding. What she saw left her in shock. I was sprawled beneath a fallen tree, my body crushed and lifeless. The air was thick with a rotten stench, and flies buzzed around my decomposing form.
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To them, the sight was just—
They stood frozen, eyes wide, their faces masks of horror and disbelief. They couldn't even muster a clear response-only a stunned "HOW?!" escaped their lips.
The rain continued to fall, drenching everyone under as they were trying to get a hold of all this nonsense. Through the downpour, faint words seemed to float in their head:
"There are many things happening inthe world that you don't know, or you still refuse to believe."
That was how the game ended. Since then, I've been alone.
