The family was still laughing, the rhythm of celebration echoing through the grand hall.
Yug had pulled Raani into another playful dance, and Gauri and Charvi clapped along, teasing them as Vihaan smiled faintly at the chaos.
The chandeliers shimmered. The air smelled of roses, incense, and burnt fireworks.
It was a moment frozen in golden joy — until the wind shifted.
Outside, the fog thickened — curling over the courtyard like a slow, creeping tide. The diyas began to flicker violently, their light shrinking to faint orange dots before extinguishing altogether.
One by one, the guests in the courtyard began to cough — soft at first, then harsher.
A man stumbled, clutching his chest. Another fell to his knees.
Then, in horrifying synchronization, they all dropped.
The laughter inside halted mid-beat.
Charvi's smile faded. "What… what's happening out there?"
Before anyone could move, the fog slipped into the hall through the open doors — thick, dark, and humming with something unnatural.
The guests inside began to sway, their faces contorting, gasps escaping their lips as the color drained from their skin.
"Someone close the doors!" shouted Sharda.
But it was too late.
Within moments, the entire hall filled with that strange, metallic scent — cold and wrong.
One by one, the guests fell, their bodies jerking before going eerily still.
Raani screamed, clutching Dadi's arm.
"Dadi! They're… they're not breathing!"
Vihaan rushed forward, kneeling beside a guest. "Check for a pulse!" he ordered, but as he reached out —
The guest's hand snapped up, gripping Vihaan's wrist with inhuman strength.
Everyone gasped.
The man's eyes were pitch-black.
Then, as if bound by a single command, the rest of the fallen guests began to rise — their movements slow, mechanical, and soulless. The sound of cracking bones filled the air as dozens of them stood, eyes void, faces blank.
They began walking — not running, not attacking — walking, in perfect unison, toward the Kotharis.
"What in the world…" whispered Yug, backing up beside Charvi.
Vihaan's eyes darkened with recognition.
"They're like the Venom Bearers we encountered at the resort," he muttered.
"But how?" Gauri's voice trembled, her hand gripping his arm. "These were normal guests! Why would they suddenly turn into—"
Her question hung unfinished.
At the edge of the crowd, near the flickering shadows, Veer stood still — watching.
A faint, wicked smile tugged at his lips.
"They're not Venom Bearers," he thought, his gaze glinting with pride.
"They're Walkers — the living possessed by the aura of the dead I summoned from the graveyard."
He folded his arms, satisfaction curling through his veins as the family backed away in confusion and fear.
The joyous echoes of Diwali had turned into whispers of dread.
The diyas sputtered out one by one, and the grand hall — once alive with laughter — now stood under the spell of the dead.
The Walkers moved closer — step by step — their blackened eyes fixed on the Kothari family.
Each breath they took came out as a faint hiss, their bodies trembling as if held by invisible strings.
Charvi clung to Veena, whispering shakily, "They're coming… they're all coming toward us!"
Vihaan stepped forward, his expression hardening. His pulse quickened — but not with fear. It was focus.
"Stay behind me," he ordered, his voice low but commanding.
The air around him began to shimmer.
A faint red glow spread from his palms, like embers waking from slumber.
"Vihaan—" Gauri started, but before she could finish, the Walkers lunged.
With a sharp motion, Vihaan thrust his hands forward.
A burst of crimson energy erupted from his palms, slamming into the advancing crowd like a wave of fire and lightning.
The impact was deafening.
The Walkers flew backward, crashing into pillars and tables, their bodies hitting the marble with unnatural thuds.
The chandelier above trembled violently, scattering shards of light across the room.
For a moment, silence.
Then — a new sound.
Bang! Bang!
The grand doors quaked under pressure.
From outside, more guests — their eyes black, their faces vacant — began pushing their way in.
Veena's voice broke through the chaos.
"Everyone! The guests outside — they're coming in through the main door!"
Gauri's eyes widened. She could see the fog spilling in again, thicker than before, dragging more victims in its wake.
"No!" she cried, raising her hand. The ring on her finger began to glow a cold, shimmering blue.
Frost crept across the floor as she whispered an incantation under her breath. The air turned frigid — and in the blink of an eye, time itself froze.
The Walkers — mid-step, mid-snarl — stopped moving, locked in a moment of eerie stillness. The fog hung motionless in the air like suspended smoke.
"Now!" Gauri shouted.
She, Raani, and Yug sprinted forward, their feet echoing against the marble as they rushed to the heavy doors. Together they pushed with all their strength.
"Come on!" Yug grunted, muscles straining as the massive doors creaked, inch by inch, until finally—
THUD!
They slammed shut, sealing the death fog and the frozen Walkers outside.
again.
Their limbs cracked and twisted back into place. Heads jerked unnaturally.
And as they lifted their faces, their black eyes gleamed darker than before.
"They got back up…" Yug whispered, disbelief in his tone.
Raani clutched Gauri's arm. "Vihaan Bhaiya, why aren't they staying down?"
Vihaan's jaw tightened. "These aren't the venom bearers we fought at the resort. Their energy—it's… heavier."
Gauri's eyes darted from one staggering guest to another. "Then what are they? Why are they turning into this?"