Chapter 1: The Knock at 3:03 A.M.
The rain had not stopped for three days.
It fell like thousands of tiny fingers scratching the roofs of the forgotten village of Black Hollow. Every night, the villagers locked their doors before sunset. No one walked outside after midnight.
Not because of thieves.
Not because of wild animals.
But because of the knocking.
Three knocks.
Always at 3:03 A.M.
Everyone knew the rule:
Never answer the door.
Twenty-three-year-old Arjun Mehta inherited his grandfather's abandoned house on the edge of the village. A taxi driver warned him before leaving.
"If someone knocks at exactly 3:03 A.M., pretend you're asleep."
Arjun laughed, believing it was just another ghost story.
Inside the old house, everything was covered in dust except a single chair facing the front door. His grandfather had left one note:
Do not open the basement.
Do not answer the knocking.
Leave before the seventh night.
Arjun ignored the warning.
That night, at exactly 3:03 A.M.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
A soft voice came from outside.
"Arjun..."
It was his mother.
She had died twelve years ago.
Her voice begged him to open the door, but before he touched the handle, a horrifying scream echoed from upstairs. Then came heavy footsteps...
Walking across the ceiling.
The lights burst.
Everything went dark.
A whisper came from behind him.
"I wasn't outside."
Wet footprints appeared, leading toward the locked basement.
Then...
The basement knocked back.
Three slow knocks.