Kunal gently took the cub away from the grave and began walking back toward the mansion gate. The night air felt heavier now, pressing silently against his skin.
After a few minutes, the flashlight the flashlight flickered twice — then died completely. Darkness swallowed the surroundings again.
He checked his watch.
4:35 AM.
The first signs of sunrise had begun to appear faintly on the horizon, casting a weak gray glow across the land.
At that moment, a sharp metallic sound echoed from the left side of the mansion.
Kunal immediately rushed toward the direction of the sound — but when he reached there, nothing was present.
No movement.
No object.
Nothing.
He frowned slightly, thinking.
Earlier, a rusted sword had been lying there.
Now it was gone.
A strange uneasiness crept into his mind.
Without wasting another second, he ran back toward the graveyard, the cub following close behind.
When he reached the grave, his suspicion was confirmed.
The soil had been disturbed again.
The cub began growling softly, it's eyes fixed on the grave.
Without wasting time, Kunal dug into it again — and soon, he found the same rusted sword buried inside.
He stared at it for a moment.
“How is this even possible…?” he muttered under his breath.
By now, the sun had risen enough for the mansion to become fully visible.
In daylight, the place looked even more unsettling.
Both of them walked toward the mansion entrance again.
This time, when Kunal pushed the gate, it opened easily — almost as if someone wanted him to come inside.
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The air inside smelled stale — not like abandonment, but like something had been living there… waiting.
The interior looked strangely organized.
Furniture was placed neatly.
Objects were positioned properly.
It felt as though someone still maintained the mansion.
After walking around and observing the area for some time, hunger finally struck him.
He took out some food from his bag and ate quietly.
The cub also ate beside him.
Exhaustion soon followed.
Both of them sat down on a sofa — and without realizing it, they fell asleep.
…
After what felt like only moments, Kunal sensed something licking his face.
His eyes slowly opened.
The cub was trying to wake him up.
He sat up and checked his watch.
7:54 PM.
His eyes widened slightly.
“We slept the whole day…?” .
“That’s impossible… we were only resting for a moment…” he whispered in disbelief.
Night had already fallen again.
Something about that realization felt wrong.
Before continuing any investigation, he replaced the flashlight batteries.
Then he began checking the rooms one by one to understand the layout of the mansion.
After some time, darkness suddenly spread inside the mansion again — as if the remaining light had vanished unnaturally.
He decided to restore the electricity.
Using his flashlight, he searched for the power supply system and eventually found access to the basement.
When he opened the basement door, he noticed water covering the entire floor. A thin reflective layer stretching into darkness.
He instructed the cub to stay near the stairs and carefully stepped into the water himself.
Cold ripples spread outward with each movement, echoing softly through the silence.
He moved forward slowly, searching for the meter panel.
Then suddenly —
Something brushed past behind him in the water.
He froze.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw what looked like a human head floating briefly before disappearing into darkness.
His breathing became heavier.
He forced himself to stay calm and continued searching.
Finally, he located the meter panel and reached for the handle.
At that exact moment —
He felt someone standing directly behind him.
His instincts screamed danger.
He immediately pulled out the knife from his jacket and turned around —
But no one was there.
Before he could react further, something grabbed his leg from inside the water.
A sudden force pulled him down.
He fell into the water violently.
A hand clamped over his mouth beneath the surface.
Panic exploded inside his chest as suffocation began.
Using all his strength, he pushed against the ground and forced himself upward.
He broke free and stood up, gasping for air.
His heart pounded so violently he could hear it echo in his ears, drowning out every other sound.
But when he looked around —
There was nothing.
No person.
No movement.
Only water.
Confusion filled his mind.
What was happening here?
Trying to regain control, he reached for the meter handle again and switched it on.
Instantly, electricity returned.
A single bulb flickered to life in the basement, casting weak yellow light across the water.
He moved toward the stairs.
But when he reached the top —
The cub was gone.
A sharp jolt of alarm shot through him.
He hurried upstairs to search for it.
From somewhere behind him, he heard faint splashing sounds from the basement water again.
He turned back.
For a brief moment, he saw what looked like a human body floating in the water…
…and then slowly sinking beneath the surface.
His heartbeat pounded violently.
He rushed upstairs.
After searching for a few seconds, he finally spotted the cub sitting outside a room.
The cub wasn’t moving.
It was staring continuously… inside the room.
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? Kunal Singh
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