The air inside the guesthouse grew colder, as if the very walls were leeching the warmth from their bodies. The storm outside continued to howl, the wind rattling the old windows violently.
"What the hell is this?" Jaddu said, pointing at the word etched into the wooden floor. His usual bravado had all but disappeared.
"Maybe it's a prank" Deepak suggested, though his voice quivered with uncertainty.
"Prank? By whom? The old man is gone!" Jinks snapped, his eyes darting around nervously.
Mahi stepped forward, kneeling to inspect the carved word. His face was grim. "This wasn't here when we came in. Someone...or something...did this while we were upstairs."
"I told you all! We shouldn't have come here" Ashwin muttered, his voice shaking.
Suddenly, a loud creak echoed from the staircase behind them, as if someone....or something....was descending. The group turned in unison, their flashlights illuminating the empty staircase.
"There's... there's no one there" Rutu whispered, gripping the flashlight so tightly his knuckles turned white.
"Let's stick together" Mahi said firmly. "No one splits up. We'll check upstairs and look for the old man. He couldn't have just disappeared."
Reluctantly, the group ascended the creaky staircase. The dim light of their flashlights cast eerie shadows on the walls, which seemed to twist and move as if alive.
They reached the end of the hallway, where the old man's room was located. Mahi pushed the door open slowly, the rusty hinges squealing in protest.
The room was empty. The bed was unmade, the lantern on the bedside table flickering weakly. But what caught their attention was the window....it was wide open, rain pouring in and soaking the floor.
"He left through here" Mahi muttered, walking over to the window.
"But why? And where did he go in this storm?" Sonu asked, stepping closer.
As they peered out into the dark, something cold brushed against Rutu's shoulder.
"Guys...?" Rutu stammered, turning around.
The group followed his gaze and froze. Standing at the end of the hallway was a figure....a tall, shadowy silhouette, completely still.
"Who... who's there?" Jaddu called out, his voice cracking.
The figure didn't move. It just stood there, its presence oppressive and unnatural.
"Run" Mahi whispered. "Now."
Without a second thought, the group bolted down the hallway, their footsteps thundering against the wooden floorboards. But as they reached the staircase, they heard it...the sound of heavy footsteps following them.
"Don't look back!" Mahi shouted, leading the charge down the stairs.
They reached the ground floor, panting and wide-eyed. But just as they thought they were safe, the front door slammed shut with a deafening bang, locking them inside.
"This... this can't be real" Devon said, his voice trembling.
The lights flickered, plunging the room into darkness before the faint glow of the fireplace returned. But something was different.
The photographs on the walls had changed.
Instead of the faded images of strangers, the frames now contained pictures of the team....smiling, laughing, completely unaware they had been photographed.
"What the hell?" Ashwin whispered, stepping closer to one of the frames. His hand trembled as he pointed to a photo of himself sitting in the bus earlier that day.
"How is this even possible?" Tushar asked, his voice barely audible.
A sudden, low whisper filled the room, as though the walls themselves were speaking.
"You shouldn't have come here..."
The group huddled together, their eyes darting around wildly.
"What do we do now?" Shardul asked, panic evident in his tone.
"We find a way out" Mahi said, his voice steady despite the fear in his eyes.
But as they turned to head toward the back door, they heard something that made their blood run cold.
A child's laughter.
It echoed through the guesthouse, soft and haunting, coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"There are no kids here" Pathirana whispered, clutching Ashwin's arm.
The laughter grew louder, turning into high-pitched giggles that sent shivers down their spines.
And then they saw it...a small figure darting past the hallway, too quick to make out clearly.
"Who's there?!" Mahi shouted, his voice reverberating through the house.
The laughter stopped abruptly, plunging the room into an oppressive silence.
And then the whispers began again, louder this time, overlapping each other until they became an unintelligible cacophony.
"Guys... we're not alone" Rutu said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Suddenly, the chandelier above them began to sway violently, the old chains creaking under the strain.
"We need to leave! Now!" Mahi shouted, pulling the group toward the back door.
But just as they reached it, the door slammed shut on its own, locking them inside once more.
"Something doesn't want us to leave" Jaddu said, his bravado completely gone.
As the group huddled together, the fireplace roared to life, its flames casting long, dancing shadows on the walls.
And then, in the flickering light, they saw it...a message scrawled across the wall in what looked like dripping red paint:
Stay The Night... If You Dare.
