The rain began just as Arjun's car broke down.
He stood alone on a narrow road surrounded by thick forest. The sky was dark, and thunder rolled across the hills. Arjun checked his phone, but there was no signal.
"Perfect," he muttered under his breath.
He had been driving to a nearby town for work when the engine suddenly stopped. Now he had no choice but to find shelter for the night.
Through the curtain of rain, he noticed something in the distance—a large, old house standing alone on a hill.
The windows were dark, and the wooden walls looked worn and broken. Vines had climbed across the front door, and the gate hung crooked on one hinge.
Still, it was better than staying outside in the storm.
Arjun walked up the muddy path and knocked on the door.
No answer.
He pushed the door gently, and it creaked open with a long, painful sound.
Inside, the air was cold and smelled like dust and damp wood. The living room was large but empty, except for an old sofa and a cracked mirror hanging on the wall.
"Hello?" Arjun called out.
Only silence answered him.
Lightning flashed outside, lighting up the room for a brief second. Arjun saw a staircase leading upstairs and a hallway disappearing into darkness.
He decided to stay until the rain stopped.
Arjun sat on the sofa and waited.
Minutes passed.
Then he heard it.
A soft whisper.
At first he thought it was the wind slipping through the broken windows.
But then he heard it again.
A voice.
Very faint.
"…help…"
Arjun froze.
"Hello?" he called nervously. "Is someone there?"
No response.
His heart began to beat faster.
Maybe someone else was trapped in the house.
Arjun picked up a flashlight from his bag and walked slowly toward the hallway.
The floorboards creaked under his feet.
The whisper came again.
"…help me…"
This time it sounded like it was coming from upstairs.
Arjun hesitated at the staircase. Something about the house felt wrong. The air felt heavier, almost like the walls were watching him.
But the voice sounded desperate.
Taking a deep breath, he climbed the stairs.
Each step groaned loudly.
At the top was a long corridor with several closed doors.
The whisper came from the last room at the end.
Arjun walked slowly toward it.
"…help me…"
The voice sounded like a young woman now.
He reached the door and pushed it open.
The room was empty.
Only a broken chair stood in the middle.
Arjun frowned.
"Hello?" he said again.
Suddenly the door slammed shut behind him.
BANG.
Arjun jumped and rushed to open it.
It wouldn't move.
He pulled harder.
Still nothing.
Then the whisper came again.
But this time it was right behind him.
"…you came…"
Arjun turned slowly.
The chair in the center of the room began to move.
It scraped across the floor on its own.
His breath caught in his throat.
"Who's there?" he whispered.
The temperature dropped suddenly. His flashlight flickered.
Then he saw it.
In the corner of the room, a shadow began to grow.
At first it looked like smoke rising from the floor.
Then it formed the shape of a person.
A woman.
Her long hair covered her face, and her body twisted unnaturally.
Arjun's hands trembled.
"What… what do you want?" he asked.
The figure slowly lifted its head.
Her face was pale and cracked, like old porcelain.
Her eyes were completely black.
"You heard me…" she whispered.
Her voice echoed strangely through the room.
Arjun stepped backward until his back hit the wall.
"I just came here for shelter," he said quickly.
The woman took a step closer.
But her feet never touched the floor.
She floated.
"You opened the door," she said.
"I didn't mean to—"
"You let me out."
The room suddenly filled with icy wind.
The flashlight went out.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Arjun felt something cold brush against his neck.
He tried to scream, but no sound came out.
The whisper was now right beside his ear.
"Thank you…"
Then silence.
Moments later, lightning flashed again through the window.
The door slowly creaked open.
The room was empty.
Arjun was gone.
Only the old chair remained in the center of the room, gently rocking back and forth.
Outside, the storm finally stopped.
The house stood quietly on the hill again.
Waiting.
For the next traveler to knock on its door.
And somewhere inside the dark corridors, a soft whisper could still be heard.
"…help me…"