Priya's house stood too still, as if even the air was holding its breath. The iron gate gave a long, aching creak when Ayush pushed it open, the sound cutting through the silence like a warning bell.
Aarya froze on the pathway, clutching her sling bag tighter to her shoulder. A sudden heaviness pulled at her chest, and for the first time in her life, she felt an urge to turn back. Something about this silence wasn't normal it wasn't the peace of an empty home, but the hush of something hiding.
The verandah looked abandoned. Flowerpots lay dry and cracked, leaves brittle like forgotten paper. A wind swept across, carrying the faint smell of dust. Once, this house had been alive laughter, music, even loud quarrels spilling into the neighborhood. Today, it looked like a photograph left out in the rain, fading at the edges.
"Strange," Shruti whispered, hugging herself. "Her parents are never this quiet. Remember the Diwali party? We couldn't even hear ourselves think."
"Exactly," Priyanka added, lowering her voice as if the house itself might overhear. "Her mom made us dance to that Govinda song three times in a row. And now this… silence? Creepy."
Ayush knocked on the door. The sound echoed hollow and cold. No answer. He knocked again, harder. Still nothing.
Aarya leaned closer, pressing her ear to the wooden frame. At first only silence. But then, so faint she almost doubted it, came a shuffle. A dragging, uneven sound. Like feet or hands moving against the floor.
Her skin prickled. "Someone's inside," she whispered.
Ayush frowned and twisted the handle. To their shock, the door wasn't locked. It creaked open, slowly, reluctantly, as though protesting.
But before they could step in, Shruti let out a nervous laugh. "Okay, hold on. Are we really just going to… enter? Like barging into someone's house without permission? We're basically criminals now."
Ayush puffed up his chest, grinning. "Criminals with style. I'll be the mastermind. You two " he pointed at Shruti and Priyanka dramatically, " can be my loyal minions."
"Oh please," Priyanka snorted. "You'd get caught within five minutes. I'd be the evil genius. Shruti would be… the sidekick who screams."
"HEY!" Shruti slapped her arm. "I don't scream. I express concern loudly."
"Same thing," Priyanka teased.
Ayush pretended to stroke an invisible beard. "No, no. Let's be real. I'm Batman. You two are Robin and Alfred. Aarya, obviously, is Commissioner Gordon always judging us, never joining the fun."
That earned laughter from both Shruti and Priyanka, who immediately started roleplaying. Priyanka hunched her back dramatically, putting on a deep old-man voice: "Master Wayne, shall I fetch your slippers?"
Shruti flapped her arms and squeaked in a ridiculous falsetto, "Holy jalebi, Batman!"
They both cracked up, giggling uncontrollably in the dead silence of the house's entrance. Ayush actually clutched his stomach, nearly doubling over.
Aarya just stared at them, unimpressed. "Are you three insane? We're literally about to trespass into a house that feels haunted, and you're making… Batman jokes?"
Priyanka waved her hand, still laughing. "What? It's called comic relief, Madam Serious. Every horror movie has it."
"Yeah," Shruti agreed, wiping tears from her eyes. "Otherwise people faint from the tension. We're doing this for your benefit."
"Benefit?" Aarya muttered. "More like brain damage."
"Relax," Ayush said with a lopsided grin. "Nothing's going to happen. Priya probably just doesn't want to see us, that's all. Worst case, we get yelled at by her mom."
But as they finally stepped in, their laughter dissolved. The atmosphere swallowed it whole.
The living room was dim, curtains pulled tight against daylight. The air smelled stale, thick, like food gone bad. On the table sat plates of half-eaten rotis, dal hardened at the edges, buzzing with flies.
"Ew," Shruti muttered, covering her nose with her dupatta. "That's not even… fresh stale. That's days stale."
Aarya's voice trembled as she called, "Priya?"
Silence answered her.
The four stepped in cautiously. The house looked frozen mid-movement like someone had walked away but never returned. Cushions scattered, a remote cracked open on the floor, a dupatta half-hanging from the sofa. Every object told a story of sudden interruption.
"Why does this look like a crime scene?" Priyanka whispered, suddenly gripping Shruti's hand.
Ayush forced a chuckle, though his voice cracked. "Relax. Maybe they… just left in a hurry?"
But even he didn't sound convinced.
Then Ayush stiffened. "Wait. Do you hear that?"
They all stopped breathing.
From the hallway, faint tapping echoed. Not rhythmic uneven, hesitant. Like fingernails scratching wood.
Tap. … Tap. … Tap.
Aarya's heartbeat quickened. The sound grew louder as they crept down the narrow hallway, walls pressing closer. At the far end stood a door they had never noticed before paint peeling, handle rusted. The tapping came from behind it.
"Someone's in there," Ayush said, his voice low, almost fearful.
Shruti shook her head. "No… no, Priya never told me they had a storeroom here. I've been to every room."
Aarya's breath hitched. She stepped closer, hand trembling as she touched the door's cold wood. "Priya?" she whispered.
The tapping stopped.
The silence that followed was worse. Heavier. Like the house itself was listening.
Then suddenly
BANG. BANG. BANG.
The door shook violently under the weight of fists slamming against it. They stumbled back, Ayush nearly tripping over a rug.
"HELP!" a muffled voice screamed from inside.
Aarya froze. Her blood turned to ice. She knew that voice.
It was Priya.
Her friend.
The girl they thought had been avoiding them all these weeks was locked inside her own house.
Shruti's face went pale. "No… no, this can't be real."
Ayush grabbed the handle and twisted, but it wouldn't budge. Locked. Jammed. Something stronger than a simple latch was keeping it shut.
"PRIYA!" Aarya shouted, her fists pounding the wood. "It's us! It's Aarya!"
There was a pause. Then Priya's voice came again, hoarse and desperate. "Please… get me out. Don't let them hear"
The line cut off. A muffled thud followed, as if someone had yanked her away from the door.
Aarya staggered back, horror slicing through her. Whoever had locked Priya inside… was still in the house.
And they weren't alone