Chapter 1
There had always been a mystery about the strange aura of our school. The swings, the playground, everything looked deserted. Our school felt as if it had been holding a secret for ages, a secret buried so deep that even time seemed afraid to uncover it.
Let's ignore the fact that a few students had gone missing, and that was dismissed as an unfortunate result of disobedience. Even today, the horrifying truth, that our school was haunted, was carefully hidden.
Once, the watchman, Ramu claimed he had seen a blurred humanoid figure slip into the dense bushes, more like a miniature forest, and never return.
The authorities dismissed him as insane and ordered the cutting down of the strange, poisonous plants growing there. But the poor man was never seen again.
Two days later, he was found lying dead at the very same spot. His mouth hung open as if he had tried to scream but never got the chance. The news was buried once more; his death was labeled a sudden heart attack. Yet my friends overheard the hushed, hurried voices of people rehearsing a story, convincing enough to silence questions related to this incident.
When I was in 9th standard, my friends and I had decided to explore the dense forest and the mysterious church behind it.
In the daylight, the Sisters of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of our city had always strictly prohibited the students from entering any links or networks connected to the church. However, some curious students had still managed to sneak in, only to get caught in a matter of seconds and get scolded.
Anyway...
The border of the strange, dense plants that kept the church hidden behind it had a large tree in between the school and the church.
The second we got close to the tree, I got a chill run down my spine.
A faded "DANGER - STAY AWAY!" sign hung crookedly at the entrance.
Naturally, we ignored it.
"There's blood on the trunk of that tree," Emma exclaimed.
Christie, a girl who was proud of her confidence and ego, laughed it off, but I stayed still... Maybe this was a sign?
"Seriously, girl? I heard Sasha had mixed black and red eye-shadow in glue and tossed it towards that tree. It's not blood. Chill," Christie said.
I walked closer to inspect while they were busy arguing.
The stains on the bark looked dark, old. That indeed seemed very much like blood. Beneath the tree, half-hidden under brittle leaves, lay a dagger etched with strange, ancient symbols. Its blade shimmered unnaturally in the sunlight, almost pulsing in anticipation, as if it knew and was waiting for our arrival.
The air around it felt heavy, sacred... chosen.
No. A stubborn part of my mind kept exclaiming in frustration that it wasn't blood. Anything but blood. But wait... realization struck me.
It was the same place where the watchman, Ramu, had died.
