Curiosity was killing him.
The strange voice… the rotten dog… the man with the gun… everything felt wrong.
Sen walked through the narrow alley toward his apartment building, but his mind was still stuck in that moment.
The dog.
The smell.
And that man calling it a corpse dog.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
For the first time in his life, the world around him felt unfamiliar.
He had lived in this city for years. Every street, every shop, every noisy neighbor—he knew them all.
But today… it felt different.
As if something had quietly changed while he wasn't looking.
Or perhaps…
I changed, Sen thought.
He shook his head and climbed the old staircase of his apartment building. The paint on the walls was peeling, and the corridor smelled faintly of cooking oil from someone's kitchen.
Nothing unusual.
Everything looked normal.
Yet the uneasiness in his chest refused to disappear.
After unlocking his door, Sen entered his small apartment and immediately dropped his bag on the sofa.
The room was simple. A single fan rotated lazily above his head. The small kitchen was visible from the living room, and beside it was the door to his bedroom.
He took out his phone and sat down heavily on the couch.
If something strange happened, the internet would know.
Typing quickly, he searched the first keyword that came to his mind.
Corpse dog.
Several results appeared.
But most of them were useless rumors or strange posts from conspiracy forums.
Then one article caught his attention.
He tapped it.
---
[BREAKING NEWS]
A STUDENT OF DELHI HIGH DIES AFTER UNKNOWN INFECTION
Authorities confirmed that a student from Delhi High died yesterday after being bitten by a dog infected with an unknown virus.
Reports suggest the dog escaped from an illegal experimental pharmaceutical facility. Officials are currently investigating the source of the virus.
Citizens are advised to stay cautious around stray animals and report any abnormal behavior immediately.
---
Sen frowned as he read the article.
"Illegal experiment pharmacy…"
He scrolled further down, hoping to find more information.
But there wasn't much.
No details about the virus.
No information about the laboratory.
Just a short warning message and a few vague statements.
He switched to social media and searched again.
Still nothing.
A few posts talked about the news, but most people seemed to treat it as just another random incident.
No panic.
No follow-up reports.
Just silence.
Sen leaned back against the sofa.
"Was it really just a single infected dog?" he murmured.
But the dog he had just fought…
That thing didn't look like a normal infected animal.
The rotten smell alone was enough to make his stomach turn.
And the man who shot it called it a corpse dog, not an infected dog.
Sen stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
Something felt wrong.
But the more he tried to think about it, the more his head started to hurt.
He exhaled slowly and rubbed his temples.
"Forget it."
Overthinking had never helped him in life.
Not when his parents died.
Not when he struggled with work.
And definitely not now.
Sen suddenly slapped his own cheeks lightly.
"Enough thinking!"
He stood up and stretched his body.
"Let's not waste time on useless worries."
A lazy smile appeared on his face.
"Today is a good day."
He had just quit his terrible job.
For the first time in months, no boss was yelling at him.
No deadlines.
No office politics.
Just freedom.
"Food first."
Sen walked into the bathroom to wash up and change his clothes.
After that, he entered the small kitchen and started preparing lunch.
Cooking was one of the few things he actually enjoyed.
Rice boiled quietly in the pot while chicken sizzled in the pan with garlic and spices.
The smell soon filled the apartment.
For a moment, Sen completely forgot about corpse dogs and mysterious voices.
All he cared about was food.
At around 2 p.m., he finished eating and leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh.
"Ahh… life is good."
His stomach was full.
His body felt heavy.
And the afternoon sunlight coming through the window made his eyelids droop.
He slowly stood up and walked into his bedroom.
The room was messy, but Sen didn't care.
He collapsed onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.
Silence filled the room.
But as his mind relaxed, the memories of the day slowly returned.
The boss shouting at him.
The project files getting deleted.
The shocked expressions of those two idiots in the office.
Sen couldn't help but chuckle.
"That was satisfying."
Then the next memory appeared.
The alley.
The dog.
The rotten smell.
And the gunshot.
His smile slowly faded.
"...Corpse dog."
The words echoed quietly in his mind.
The man with the gun had acted strangely calm.
As if killing such creatures was normal.
Sen turned to his side and pulled the blanket slightly over himself.
"Maybe I'm thinking too much…"
His body was already exhausted from everything that happened since morning.
And with a full stomach, sleep came quickly.
His breathing gradually slowed.
Within minutes, Sen fell into a deep sleep.
But he didn't know that this sleep…
Would take him somewhere he had never imagined.
¿?¿
?¿?
Sen wakes up in a different place. A hallway. There are rooms at both sides of the hallway.
Behind him is the wall.
"Where am I?" Sen asked himself.
] What do you gain? [
] This is your second chance. Your dream! [
As the sound ends. A door at right side open ups. There is no sound. But then a countdown.
10..9...8....7....
Sen walks towards the room.
From outside the room is full of light. So much light that nothing else can be seen.
He entered the room.
[ Welcome!]
[You have entered the Novel "Ghost house".]
[Main mission: Create a clan and recruiting 5 people of comander rank.]
[Additional quest: Recruit 10 clan members.]
Watching the text appearing before him, he was shocked at first.
But then he felt joy. He knows the novel Ghost house.
A short novel. But he needs to create a clan here. That's difficult.
][ 4 friends was talking among themselves on a tea stall. Now you are one of them. Your name is Rana.][
Night sky, cloudy. On a tea stall of a village, 4 people were talking among themselves.
This Village is near Kolkata. Rota village. 4 friends have come to spend time together like usual. Today is Saturday. Tommorow Sunday, a holiday. So they gathered here every Saturday to enjoy their time.
In this fast and busy life only this is the time these old friends get to meet and talk about the whole experience of their week.
But today is a bit different. A cloudy sky rumbling the sound to warn it will be raining soon.
And as expected... It started raining.
They finished their tea and goes on their way to their home.
4 friends were Agit, Tilo, pola, Rana. Among them Agit takes the west road of the stall.
Rana knew that it's time to follow him. So Rana follow Agit. Noticing this Agit frowned..
"Rana! Why are you following me?" Agit asked.
"Man! No one is home today. I am a bit scared to go home tonight. So I thought of going to your house."
"You should have said that sooner." Agit said and start to walk again.
The rain was slow till now. But who can say when it will accelerate. Rana also increase his speed.
When they were waiting in the rain, suddenly a thunder fall on the ground far away. The sound made them close their ears.
"It seems that the rain will increase soon. We should hurry." Agit said.
"Yeah! Let's run a bit. It will increase soon." Rana also said.
Suddenly Rana stopped. "Oi Agit!"
Agit also stopped and looked back. Rana was looking at a house.
Agit also knows about this house. People call it a hunted house. People used to say in past that some heard a girl crying from the house.
"What happened?" Agit asked as he come closer to Rana.
But Rana didn't need to answer. He can see it.
A room on the second floor have it's lights on in the room.
"Let's go inside the house. I think some thief or maybe someone else have entered the house to take shelter. If it's thief or bad people we will call police immediately. Or if it's anyone else we should warn them too." Agit said.
Rana also didn't complaint. Cause he knew what is coming towards them.
They both entered the house. But what they saw shocked then.
At least it shocked Agit. Rana wasn't so much shocked. But still it feel unreal when it's happening before his eyes.
Before them a huge room. Lights are on. Although the room was empty but it's well designed, clean.
Agit somehow closed his eyes.
"Isn't it closed for 5 years now?" Agit asked looking towards Rana.
"I think so. But then.." Rana tried to act confused.
"Yeah! Then what this is?" Agit asked.
Agit walked toward inside.
"Hey anyone home? Hey! What is going on here?" Agit shouted.
~ Ring~ ring~ ring~
Agit & Rana's phones start to rang together.
Both took out their phones together.
Private number.
Both looked at eachother and recieved the call.
[Hello there my players. I am very happy you guys came to entertain me in such lonely and dark night. Now let's start the game.]
[Are you ready?]
Rana knew it will start like this. But it seems there is something that didn't work in novel..
"Hey! What is this game? Why are we playing it suddenly? And .." Before Agit get to complete his words, the voice cut him off.
[The game is obviously on survival. Your survival! Both player uncles need to survive my friends.]
This time the voice was a bit different. Like of a little girl.
"What are the rules?" Rana asked.
He knew it was the most critical question.