Chapter 1: The Letter
Tara hadn't returned to Meharganj since the funeral- not since Leena vanished.
Now, a year later, the town looked exactly the same. Still too quiet. Still pretending not to remember. But she had come back with a purpose.
The letter had arrived three nights ago. No return address. Just her name, scrawled in black ink that bled into the envelope. Inside, a single sentence:
"She's Waiting. 12 Bellview Lane. Midnight."
That was the house. The one people said was cursed. The one her sister was last seen near.
Tara clutched the note tighter as the cab pulled away, gravel crunching beneath its tires. She stood at the iron gate, rusted shut, the cold air wrapping around her like a warning. The mansion loomed in the dark like a secret with teeth.
She stepped inside.
The gate creaked shut behind her- but she hadn't touched it.
Tara paused, spine straightening.
Then the porch light flicked on by itself.
