“The darkest nights reveal the most terrifying truths.”

Once upon a time, there lived a group of friends. In the group, there were two boys named Rahul and Sam, and two girls named Ananya and Kriti. They all decided to go out on New Year’s Eve. As planned, they went out together.

It was a long drive. Once they reached their destination, they met many friends. They all danced and sang songs, having a lot of fun. Around 2 a.m., they left for home. On the way, they were so tired that they decided to stop the car. Moreover, it was raining heavily. Once they were comfortable, all of them fell asleep.

After some time, somebody knocked on the car window. It was an old man. He said, “I can see that you are very tired. I invite you to my house to rest tonight. You can leave early in the morning after breakfast.”

After much discussion and debate, they agreed to stay at the old man’s house. It was freezing outside. The bungalow he took them to was old and creepy, giving off unsettling vibes. The old man offered them some hot soup. After freshening up a little, they all sat at the dinner table to drink it. Once they were done, they were given rooms on the first floor. Exhausted, they soon fell fast asleep.

After a while, Ananya heard footsteps. She was terrified, but to her relief, it was Kriti heading to the washroom. About five minutes later, Ananya woke up and could not find Kriti anywhere—not even in the washroom. Panicked, she ran to the boys’ room and knocked frantically on the door to inform them about Kriti’s disappearance.

They checked every room and called out Kriti’s name, but there was no response. Then they went to the ground floor, checking every corner for possibilities. There they saw a family photo that hadn’t been there before. From the photo, they realized some members of the family had died. They also found a file that mentioned the names of the people—it said they had all been murdered. The photo was dated between 1999–2002, showing the family alive at that time. Now, the only one left was the old man.

Thinking he might help, they began searching for him. The atmosphere grew tense and eerie. But in vain—they couldn’t find him anywhere. Soon, they discovered a hidden wall that looked like a normal one. They tried several ways to open it. Suddenly, they heard screams coming from inside. Moments later, blood started seeping out from the room. They froze in fear. Trembling, sweating, and crying for help, they felt helpless. As they debated what to do, the door opened by itself.

Rahul tried to stop Sam, but Sam had already stepped in. Before anyone else could follow, the door slammed shut. Inside, strange noises echoed, followed by screams. Blood appeared again. Both Rahul and Ananya trembled in fear. The lights flickered and then went out completely. Terrified, they searched for an exit, only to find all the doors locked. Finally, with the help of a hammer, they managed to break open a window and jumped outside.

By then, it was morning. They spotted a crowd nearby and begged for help. The crowd followed them inside through the window. The main door was tightly locked, but with effort, a few people managed to push it open. To their shock, inside they found that Sam and Kriti were alive—but they were trying to kill the old man, who had attacked them first. The blood they had seen was not only of Sam and Kriti but also of the old man. All three were badly injured. Sam and Kriti were rushed to the hospital along with the old man.

The doctor checked all three. Sam and Kriti were injured but not critically. The old man, however, was gravely wounded. Soon, news came that the old man had died.

Shaken but alive, Ananya, Kriti, Sam, and Rahul decided to go home together. They promised themselves they would never again trust a stranger.

That night, they carried not just fear in their hearts but also a lifelong lesson: behind every smile may not lie a kind intention, and not every stranger deserves trust.

Author: Suvidhi Shreyans Jain, 11 years old