THE GIRL IN THE ABANDONED HOUSE

The House at the End of the RoadThere was a house nobody talked about after sunset.It stood at the very end of Blackwood Road, far away from the busy part of the village. Tall trees surrounded it on every side, their branches twisting together above the roof as though they were trying to hide the building from the rest of the world.The house had been abandoned for nearly twenty years.No one knew exactly why.Some people said the family that lived there had disappeared.Others claimed that a teenage girl had died inside the house.But the oldest villagers had a different story.They said the house wasn't empty.They said someone still lived there.A girl.Every night at exactly midnight, she supposedly appeared behind the upstairs window.Always wearing the same white dress.Always staring toward the road.And according to the story, if the girl ever called your name...You were never supposed to answer.Seventeen-year-old Maya had heard the story countless times.She didn't believe any of it.Ghosts were just stories people told when they wanted to frighten children.At least, that's what she believed.Until that Thursday evening.Maya was walking home from her aunt's shop when the sky suddenly darkened.She looked upward."Seriously?"Thunder rolled across the sky.A few seconds later, rain began falling.Maya pulled her small bag over her head and hurried along the road.She was still several minutes from home.Then the rain became heavier.Within moments, her clothes were getting soaked.She looked around for somewhere to hide.That's when she saw it.The abandoned house.Maya stopped walking.The enormous iron gate stood about twenty meters away.She had passed that gate hundreds of times during the day.It had always been locked.Always.But tonight...It was open.Maya stared at it."No way."Lightning flashed.For a brief second, the entire house became visible.Broken windows.Cracked walls.Overgrown plants climbing toward the roof.And the upstairs window.Maya's eyes narrowed.Someone was standing behind it.A girl.Maya stopped breathing.The girl was wearing a long white dress.Her dark hair covered most of her face.She stood completely still.Watching.Maya blinked.The window was empty."What the..."She took a step backward.Maybe it had been a curtain.Maybe the lightning had created a strange shadow.There had to be a reasonable explanation.Maya turned around and continued walking.Then she heard something.A whisper."Maya."She froze.Slowly, she turned around.The road was empty.The rain continued falling."Hello?"Nothing.Maya looked toward the house.The gate was still open.She told herself to keep walking.But something about the house bothered her.Not curiosity.Something else.It felt as if the house was watching her.Maya took one step toward the gate.Then another.She stopped at the entrance."Just for a second," she whispered to herself. "I'll look around and leave."She pushed the gate.It opened without making a sound.That frightened her more than the ghost story.The gate had looked rusty enough to scream when opened.Instead, it moved as smoothly as if someone had just oiled it.Maya stepped inside.The moment her foot touched the path...The rain stopped.Maya looked up.The clouds were still dark.Rain was still falling outside the gate.But inside the compound, not a single drop touched her.She slowly turned around.The open gate was only a few meters away.Beyond it, the rain continued.Maya stared in disbelief."Okay..."Her voice trembled."That's weird."A cold breeze moved through the trees.Then she heard it again."Maya."This time, the voice was closer.Maya spun around.Nobody.Her heart began beating faster."Who's there?"Silence.She looked toward the house.The front door was open.Maya hadn't seen it open before.She stood there for several seconds.Every sensible part of her mind told her to leave.But another part of her wanted to know what was inside.She slowly walked toward the entrance.The wooden floor creaked beneath her shoes.The air inside was colder than outside.The hallway was dark.Old paintings hung crookedly on the walls.A dusty chandelier hung from the ceiling.Maya looked around."Hello?"Her voice echoed through the house.No answer.She took another step.Then the front door slammed shut behind her.BANG!Maya jumped.She rushed back and grabbed the handle.She pulled.Nothing.She pulled again.Still nothing."Open!"The door wouldn't move.Maya's breathing became faster.Then she heard footsteps upstairs.Step.Maya froze.Step.Another.Slow.Careful.Someone was walking across the floor above her.Maya looked toward the staircase."Who's there?"The footsteps stopped.A few seconds passed.Then a girl's voice floated down from the darkness."You shouldn't have come."Maya stared at the staircase.The girl from the window slowly appeared at the top.White dress.Long dark hair.Pale face.She looked exactly as Maya had seen her.Maya couldn't move."Who are you?"The girl said nothing."Are you... Elena?"Maya didn't know where the name had come from.She had never heard it before.But the girl's expression changed.For the first time, she looked frightened."How do you know my name?"Maya swallowed."I don't."The girl slowly stepped down one stair.Then another."You have to leave.""I can't. The door is locked.""Not that door."Maya frowned."What do you mean?"The girl looked behind Maya.Her eyes widened."He's awake."Maya slowly turned around.The hallway was empty.She looked back.The girl was gone.Maya's heart pounded."Wait!"No answer.Then she heard something beneath the staircase.A faint scratching sound.Scratch.Scratch.Scratch.Maya stared at the small wooden door beneath the stairs.She hadn't noticed it before.The scratching came again.She stepped closer.Something was behind it."Hello?"The scratching stopped.Maya reached toward the handle.A whisper came from behind the door."Don't."Maya immediately pulled her hand away.The voice wasn't Elena's.It was deeper.Older.And somehow...It sounded like it was smiling.Maya stepped backward.The lights suddenly flickered.Once.Twice.Then every light in the house went out.Maya stood in complete darkness.A cold breath touched the back of her neck.Someone whispered directly beside her ear."You came back."Maya screamed.The lights came on.The hallway was empty.But on the dusty floor in front of her were wet footprints.They began at the staircase.They passed directly beside Maya.And continued toward the front door.Maya stared at them.There was only one problem.The footprints were too small to belong to an adult.They belonged to a girl.Maya followed them with her eyes.One footprint.Then another.Then another.They stopped directly behind her.Maya slowly turned.Nothing was there.But on the wall in front of her, written in what looked like fresh black ink, were four words:MAYA, DON'T TRUST ELENA.Maya's heart dropped.She looked toward the staircase."Elena?"A soft voice answered from upstairs."Maya..."She looked up.The ghost girl was standing at the top of the stairs again.This time, tears were running down her face."Please," Elena whispered."Don't let him find you."The lights went out again.And somewhere deep inside the abandoned house...A door unlocked.CLICK.TO BE CONTINUED...