Ghost House in Shadow Village Part 2
The Era of Shadows: An Unfading Effect
A few days passed after the fateful night, but its impact grew stronger rather than fading. The four friends tried to avoid discussing what happened in the haunted house, as if merely uttering what they had seen might bring it back. But silence didn't prevent the signs from appearing.
Laila was the first to notice. Every time she turned off the lights in her room before going to sleep, she would see a fixed, unchanging shadow in the far corner, as if patiently watching her. She tried to convince herself it was just an illusion, but when she reached to turn on the light, she found the old notebook on her desk… the same dust, the same pages she had stopped at that night.
Ahmed, who was trying to pretend he didn't care, began hearing muffled laughter late at night, coming from behind his closed door. At first, he thought it was coming from the street, but as the days passed, he realized the sound was coming from inside… from behind his wooden closet.
As for Karim, he decided to confront the matter in his own way. He took out the camera he had with him at home and began reviewing the footage. Most of the clips were blurry, but amidst the gray fog, a scene emerged that he didn't remember capturing: the upper corridor of the house, the ajar door... and behind it, two red eyes staring directly into the lens.
Sarah was the quietest of the three, but she began to notice something strange. Every morning, she would find her apartment door ajar, even when she'd made sure it was securely locked at night. There were no signs of a break-in, nothing missing, but a cold, strange smell filled the air.
One evening, they all received an anonymous message on their phones. It was an old photo of the house, but this time, it was their four faces standing in front of it... and they had never taken the picture. In the upper window, there was a dark figure, its features almost obscured, but its broad smile was disturbingly clear.
They decided to meet at Karim's house to discuss what was happening. They sat in the living room, the curtains drawn, the single lamp emitting a faint yellow light. Laila said in a low voice, "I'm sure... we didn't actually leave the house. Or... the house itself left with us."
Ahmed shook his head in disbelief, but before he could reply, the lamp suddenly went out, and the room was plunged into complete darkness. The air felt unnaturally cold, even their breathing was clearly visible. Then came the voice... a slow whisper, close, but not directed at anyone: "You... are mine."
Karim turned on the small flashlight on his phone, and in the brief moment of illumination, they saw something standing in the corner, among the shadows. Its features were unclear, but it seemed taller than any human, its shoulders hunched, its head tilted slightly, as if it were watching them. Before they could move, the flashlight went out.
In the darkness, Ahmed felt something pass beside him, cold to the point of pain, and then he heard heavy breathing next to his ear. Laila felt a light hand touch her shoulder, even though everyone was only a few steps away. Sarah tried to scream, but her voice faded as if the air had vanished from the room.
Then, suddenly, the light came back on. But they weren't in Karim's house... they were in the upper corridor of the abandoned house, with the same half-opened door they'd opened that night. The floor creaked the same way, and the air smelled of dust and damp.
"How...?" Karim muttered, looking around. But before anyone could answer, the half-opened door began to open slowly, as if someone were pushing it from within. Through the crack, the room was pitch black, but the whisper returned, this time clearer and closer: "Your return... was inevitable."
They exchanged glances, knowing that no matter how hard they tried to escape, they would never leave.
……..The moment Ahmed took a step forward, the door suddenly slammed shut, and everything was plunged into darkness... To be continued...
