Ann's POV

I dodge back immediately and tried to run away. She became furious and caught my hair and dragged me inside the attic. I flinched in pain as I tried to get away from her clutch. She threw me to the floor, the cold hardwood thrust against my back, and lunged forward to stab me in the heart. My eyes widen in fear seeing the sharp knife as I moved my body in utter reflex barely managing any fatal blow but the knife cut through my skin below the rib cage.

I screamed in pain, as I struggled under her. She held the knife over me trying to stab me again while I tried to stop her with my hands. I shoved her pale hands away which resulted in her losing the knife in the darkness. She immediately caught hold of my throat to kill me and pinned me to the ground.

"Die now! You bitch!" She screamed choking me. Her death grip didn't allow me to breathe and I was coughing and gagging. I couldn't feel my face and my lips started becoming dry! I was losing my consciousness. I knew my life was near death, but I was not ready to give it up soon.

I tried my best to free myself from the death grip but her hands were too strong and cold. Finally, I managed to kick her at her stomach and she fell back, couching in pain. As she got away I tried to breathe, coughing roughly I crawled to get away. I got up on my feet taking support of walls, trying to balance my body, and as I was trying to run away she caught me by my leg and pulled me inside the attic. I fell down crying in pain and fear, yelling for someone to come to save me, but before anyone could come she threw me inside the darkroom and locked the door.

I landed on the ground with my head colliding with something strong. The pain in my body amplified. I felt weak but still, I got up and pounded hard on the door screaming on top of my lungs for some help. My voice cracked but no one came. What happened to sis and Pihu! Why aren't they coming to help me? I thought, my mind losing focus. What if Rita!! Has already hurt them! Are they okay? I asked myself tears building up in my eyes, with fear and agony. I immediately rubbed off the tears as I knew I had to get out of here and find them. I have to help them.

Why was Rita doing all these? What have we done to her? What if it's not Rita? Is she possessed? Thousands of irrational questions rushed to my mind. I tried hard but the door didn't seem to even move an inch! As I turned around I found nothing but eternal darkness. I felt like I have gone blind. I started feeling claustrophobic. Darkness suffocated me. I felt like I am being buried alive. Like the whole world closed in and would collapse me within.

I felt wetness near my head. As I rubbed my hand over my forehead. I could understand there was a cut there and I was bleeding. By then I could feel my dress soaked with the blood from the deep cut below my rib cage. I tried to move forward but collapsed and fell on the ground, trembling with excruciating pain. The last thing I heard was a shrill cry from downstairs and I blacked out.

Siddharth's POV

"Hey, guys! Good morning" I wished my group as I walked inside my class.

"Hey, Sid! Have you seen Ann and Pihu?!" Sam asked as I took a seat beside him.

"Nope! Why? aren't they here yet?" I asked feeling strange cause Ann and Pihu never really miss school and if they do at least I would know. Ann would have texted me and let me know. She hasn't texted me anything and she didn't receive my call either today morning.

Is everything ok? I asked myself thinking real deep about what the matter could be.

"Sid!!" Ashis called out nudging me, catching me off-guard. 

"What?" I asked looking blankly at them. 

"What do you think?" Pamela asked, "they don't really miss school, isn't it? Moreover, we have an important quiz today. It's very unlikely for them to miss it."

"I don't know...yesterday night when I talked to Ann, she seemed fine" I spoke recalling the last time I call her, she said she was waiting for her sister to come home, but honestly something felt a little off in her voice, "but today morning she didn't receive my call!" I said feeling tensed.

"Her last seen is around 11:30 p.m!" Anirudh spoke checking her last seen on WhatsApp.

"And Pihu's is 11:15 p.m" Sam added.

"They haven't been online since today morning?" Pamela asked, her eyebrows frowning in confusion, "that's kind of strange..."  

As we were discussing what could be the reason our maths teacher entered the classroom. Classes went on monotonously and it was too boring without her. I looked at her desk which was empty today. What happened to you Ann? I hope you are safe! I said to myself looking at the empty desk.

During lunchtime, we all tried to get her and Pihu on the phone but none got any reply to our messages or our calls. 

"Something is definitely wrong!" Sam said giving up as he sat beside me with his lunch lying untouched in front of him. So was mine. 

"Guys today after school I am going to their house to find out what's the matter!" I said firmly keeping my phone aside. 

"We are coming with you, Sid!" Anirudh replied keeping his hand on my shoulder. They all looked quite worried. Please be safe Ann, I don't know why but my gut was saying something is definitely wrong.  

As school got over we immediately jumped in my car and drove off to Ann's house. The evening sun glittered through the leaves of the tall trees. The birds were retreating to their home. The distant mountains could be seen bathed in the dusky golden hue of the setting sun. It was such a splendid sight yet so uncanny. We felt a strange uneasiness as we passed through the woods surrounding Ann's house. The tall trees were rustling lightly with the wind, their dark trunks overshadowing the path.

After a while, driving silently, we took a turn from the mountain road and the huge gates to Ann's house came in view amidst eerie woods which was half-opened.

We all exchanged looks, worried as we drove on through the unpaved road. Twigs snapped under the tires of our car. The setting sun was almost down by the horizon, the dull purple twilight sky engulfed the last streaks of the crimson sun, it was slowly becoming dark. A layer of obscure mist surrounded the place. Why was the main gate to Ann's house open? I asked myself, feeling uneasy and anxious. 

"Guys! You know what, this place really gives me the goosebumps!" Pamela said, pulling her jacket close, breaking the unsettling silence which was created. 

"Don't worry Pam!" Anirudh said, trying to act tough, but his eyes looked a little sacred. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead even though it was quite cold around here. None spoke much, a strange disquietness surrounded us. We got down in front of their huge mansion. It looked so gloomy. The curtains around their windows were still drawn, it was as if there was no one around. 

"Where is Shallow?" Ashis asked, his voice sounded a little spooked. 

"I too had the same question, cause every time we come here, Shallow comes running to play with us! But today... we haven't even heard a single bark from him yet!" Pamela said as we all looked at her having the same confusion. 

Their house looked uninhabited, as if a phantom of darkness, standing amidst the murky shadowy twilight.  

"Pam and Ashis why don't you guys go to the backyard and check where Shallow is!" Sam said directing them. They noded in acceptance and walked towards the backyard, the dry fallen leaves crackled beneath their feet. 

"Sid, Anirudh let's go and check the house!" Sam said looking at us gesturing us to follow him. We walked up the porch to the main door. 

"It must be locked!" Anirudh said while I reached for the cold doorknob twisting it, "Do you know where the key-" Anirudh was cut off in between, as our eyes widen in surprise, to find the door unlocked. We looked at each other, distraught. The door creaked open revealing a dark, dingy house with a faint light entering from the big vertical glass window by the stairs. 

"What! It's unlocked!" Sam asked looking puzzled, his voice was really nervous. "Don't you think it's too unusual?"

"I am sure something is definitely wrong here!" Anirudh said switching on the torch for some light. We walked in, the floorboards squeaked underneath our feet as we went to switched on the lights but none worked. It felt unusually cold inside. A sensation of apprehension enveloped me.

"Ann! Pihu!" we called out but none replied. Our voices echoed through the empty house. Fear was slowly making its way in our hearts, binding us in its darkness. Gulping down the cavity that has formed in my throat I gestured Sam and Anirudh to following me up the stairs. We separated and started checking the rooms, anticipating finding them.

Ann's room looked somewhat deserted, she was not there. Where are you Ann? I wondered extremely worried almost panicking, thinking about the worst scenario possible. Suddenly a very old diary on her bedside table caught my attention. It was in a shabby condition. Looking at it I guessed it was not hers. On the leather cover, the year 1949 was printed. 

"Guys come here fast!" Sam almost screamed out, his voice panicking and extremely scared.

I immediately took the diary and ran out to find out what made him so scared. 

"What happened Sam?" I asked confused as I entered the room following his voice, from where he was calling. 

"Sid come to the bathroom" Anirudh called out with an agitated voice. I gasped in horror as I reached the bathroom, I was petrified with what I saw in front of me. In the bathtub Ann's sister was lying unconscious in a pool of blood, her head was tilted to the side, and on the white tiled wall it was written with thick red blood- 'You can never get away from me! I curse you! DIE!'

Terrified and completely perplexed we immediately pulled out Ann's sis from the bathtub. Her nightdress was stained in her blood. I checked for her pulse, it was too weak but it was there. She was alive. There was a deep cut in her stomach from where she was bleeding. It looked like someone stabbed her. 

"Get me something, we need to stop the bleeding!" I called out bewildered. Sam rushed back to the room and brought a long, white scarf. I grabbed it from his hand and tied it around her wound to stop the bleeding. She looked pale and cold. We had no idea when she got stabbed but it was evident she bleed out a lot.

"We need to take her to the hospital immediately!" Sam cried, perplexed, "And we have to find the others!"

"Anirudh take my car! I said giving him my car keys!" he nodded as he tried to carry Ann's sister. Both me and Sam helped him. We heard few steps coming up the stairs. As we turned around we found Pamela holding a scared Shallow in her arms and Ashis having a very tensed look in his eyes, standing by the door. 

"What happened to her?" he cried out as he saw us. 

"I have no idea but we have to take her to the hospital now!" Sam replied, his voice cracking up in fear and worry. 

"There was a killer here! I am sure!" I replied, "Pam call the police!" I instructed. She nodded while we all hurried downstairs carrying Ann's sister to the car. 

"Leave it to me, you guys find the others, we can't waste a single moment here!" Anirudh spoke, although he sounded panicky yet he tried to assure us as he drove away, hurrying to the hospital in the town. 

"Where are the others?" Ashis asked.

"We haven't found them yet!" I replied as we walked back in, "Let's check the attic," I suggested.

"By the way where was Shallow?" Sam asked. 

"We found him in his kennel couched at the corner, trembling, he was so scared!" Ashis replied.

"Guys it's better if we split up and search from them, I have a feeling they might all be injured, we can't lose any time here. You guys go and check the attic we are going downstairs to check the basement!" Pamela suggested. We nodded in agreement. We have to save them.

Ashis and Pamela ran downstairs while we surveyed the attic. It was quite dark around, we couldn't see anything properly. We switched on the flashlights of our phone when a patch of blood caught my eyes! 

"Sam look!" I said following the blood trail. It was already dark outside. The flashlight of our phone was the only light leading us. The trail ended below a cupboard. We looked at each other with worried and anxious expressions. Pushing with all our might we managed to removed the cupboard to find a hidden door. 

"No way!" Sam gasped. I twisted the doorknob, but it was locked! 

"We need to break it!" I said and we both thrust hard on the door breaking it open to reveal a completely pitch dark room. An awful smell struck our nose. 

"Oh! God, what's this smell?!" Sam said as he flinched, covering his nose with his hand. We both illuminated the darkroom with our phone's flashlight revealing a perfect attic room with all its furniture intact in its places. The windows were sealed making no sense at all. As our light reached the floor to our utter horror we found Ann lying unconscious in a pool of blood. 

"Ann!" I gasped horrified. My eyes widen in fear as I saw her pale lifeless body lying on the hard wooden floor. 

"Oh! No!" Sam exclaimed and we rushed to her...

Hello, my dear readers. What do you think will happen next? Let me know...!!

I hope you will like this chapter! Please do vote, comment and share!
-Anusree