“So guys finally we got in here, we were planning to shoot here since long. It’s a haunted house”, he laughed “Jake, I think we should go back home, it’s creepy in here and it is the time for devil to come as well, we should return immediately, I’m afraid, he will kill us”, his fear could be felt through his words. “Shut up Josh! We managed to get in here after facing so difficulty, I’m not going back now. Nothing will happen don’t worry, just think about the fame we’ll get after this because no one ever dares to even pass by the streets at this hour”, he continued shooting. It was 12 am, the time for devil to come. Suddenly, something broke, “Jake, I told you he’ll come please let’s get out of here, he will kill us” panicking he said. “It must be due to the wind don’t worry, everything is alright”, “Please God, save us, we are fool to get in here.” “Now you’ll never get out of here because now you’ll live here with me forever” said a strange voice. The camera fell down from Jake’s hand, the lights around the house went off. There was a complete silence around the street after the screams stopped.
“Your cellphone is ringing”, “Ya! I’m coming mom”, said Bethany. “That must be one of
them, definitely” she added as she was going to pick. She sighed calmly and answered “Yes, I remember we decided to meet. Don’t worry I won’t get late as usual” she smiled “Have you informed them as well???? Ok then, I’ll reach there soon.” She told her mom that she is going to meet her friends, her mom asked her come within an hour and she
left assuring her she will.
Beth was excited to meet her friends Kate, Crystal and Pearl. They all were searching for a secret meeting place where they can meet secretly without letting Steffy and Aishle know about it. Their houses were adjacent to each other. Beth was eldest among them all. Crystal and Kate were three years younger than her, Steffy four, Pearl and Aishle were seven years younger than her, but they never considered their age as a barrier in their friendship. Crystal and Pearl were sisters, Kate and Bethany were
splendid combination. Bethany was adored by everyone, she gave much attention to Kate.
After searching for a week, they finally got a place. Three were waiting for Bethany’s arrival before they head towards the spot.”Thank you everyone for waiting for me.” “It’s ok you must be engaged in some work” Kate smiled. “Anyways we should leave before Steffy and Aishle come here, follow me”, everyone went after Crystal. “Beth we
are excited to show you the spot”, “Aren’t you excited for me as well Pearl” said Kate. “No” she replied, “Beth understands me very well not even Crystal understands me this way”, “Stop fighting both of you otherwise I’ll leave now” Beth scolded them. “No, please” and they both turned away their faces.
“Why we are on the roof?” asked Bethany. “Actually the room on that corner, it is our secret spot” Crystal replied. “That’s fab” Bethany replied. “How big is your roof! Catch me Pearl!” Kate started running saying this and Pearl ran after her. “They both started again” Bethany and Crystal laughed. “You can never catch me…. Loser” entire scenario was filled with laughs of Pearl and Kate. “Wait! What did you say?” Pearl pushed Kate “Ouch!” Kate fell near the end of the roof “Are you fine?” asked Beth “Pearl you should apologise to her, she is elder than you don’t fight like she is of same age as you” Crystal rebuked Pearl. “I’m sorry Kate” Pearl apologized, “It’s ok, I’m fine” replied Kate. She was continuously looking at the building on the back side of the roof.
Pearl was getting lectured by her sister, Crystal. Bethany nodded her head mockingly and noticed Kate, “What you looking at continuosly like this?” she asked. “Mmm… Nothing… It is just this building, Pearl… Crystal do you remember last time we came here the doors were closed” she said this mysteriously. “Yes, I do” both replied. “Maybe,
someone bought this building and planning to get settled here” Crystal cuts in Beth’s speech and said, “No one wants to buy this….. Cuz this is… Haunted… No one lives heres… I mean no human but a devil lives here… When we used to come for an evening walk, all we hear daily are screams and some noises like someone is throwing bulky things down from the very top.” “There’s nothing like that. I won’t buy this instead you made me curious to know more about it. Definitely, I’ll go to search in one day” Beth laughed. “Haven’t you heard about Jake and Josh, they also went in at midnight to see devil and telecast him on their video and get fame. In the end, devil abducted them both and killed them. Their dead bodies are still haven’t discovered as nobody dares to go in. All that was found was their camera” Crystal told Beth. “Really, it seems like a story to me, so I won’t buy it” she moved to the other end and said, “Now we shall move to our usual place Aishle and Steffy must be waiting for us” eveyone left.
“Hey! I wanna see that haunted house can we go for cycling there” Beth proposed.
Crystal threw a disapproving glance. “That’s a great idea, this time everyone would be around there, there’s no need to fear” curiously said Kate. “Fine! Then” all four headed towards the haunted house. Later, everyone met Aishle and Steffy. Beth told the whole story to Steffy and Aishle on the transit.
“Crystal’s house is there so the haunted house must be around here only” Kate was having trouble locating it “Wait! It is here. Look Crystal’s home could be seen from here” Beth replied excitingly as if she found a treasure which could make her millionaire. She was continuously looking at the windows of the house. “We shouldn’t stay here for long” Crystal told them and headed forward, but Bethany and Kate stayed there “I also want to go in once” replied Kate, Beth suspiciously said “It must be risky. Come on! Let’s move.”
It was two storey building with cracked walls, some small ferns were growing out of it. It looked as if built hundreds of years ago. The windows and doors were all rusted. It looked so creepy that no one could ever doubt the presence of some spirit inside it. The balcony was jutting down. It seemed so delicate that it might get fall down if strong wind blew.
“Oh! I forgot to inform you all earlier, my exams are going to commence next week so I won’t be able to meet you all before they end” reported Crystal. “I’ll also be having my exams next week but I’ll try to manage to meet you Beth” Kate gave a mischievous
smile. “My exams will end next week” Beth sadly sighed. “That means we will study while you and Kate will only meet each other whole duration” said Pearl being a little jealous. “It’s ok, we all will gather after exams, with our results showing our hard work” said Crystal. “Yes, of course” everyone said.
Kate came to play with Beth twice but one day her stepsisters Emma and Akie noticed her playing along with Beth, “We told you not to play with that girl then to you went to play with her” they shouted at Kate, “Dad have already given me the permission I don’t need your approval for doing everything.” “Fine! Then, we will tell him you’re getting infatuated with numerous at such tenderous age.” “I’ve told you many times they are only my friends and if you don’t believe go ask them how we are related.” “You don’t meet her again that will be good for you” they left the room after warning her. Kate was pissed of by their words, they both were jealous of their friendship but Kate didn’t pay heed towards it as it wasn’t of any use, she only wanted to live her life on her own terms.
She called up Beth and described the entire scenario “I already told you this will happen, now we will not meet until everyone’s exams are over” she cuts the call saying this. “This is because of me” he laughed, it was Beth’s brother John who overheard their conversation. Kate’s sisters had a misconception that they are the most beautiful girls of the area and every boy is after them but to them John was a boy who is not falling in their trap that’s the reason they hate him and his friendship with Kate reminds them of their foolishness. They weren’t able to take revenge from John instead they tried to break the friendship of Beth and Kate to teach him a lesson.
Several days Beth cycled alone. One day, she stood before the haunted house, she was peeping in through doors and windows. When she last came here with everyone, she saw someone’s shadow on the opened windowpane which was closed now. She parked her cycle and went near the door. She was looking in through the gaps of door. “Ssshhhh” someone said in a hushed voice, Beth was sure it came from inside, she was trying to jump in but, someone pulled her “Hey! You silly little girl! What you doing here? Don’t you know no one goes inside this and the one who does never comes out. Quickly, get away from here and don’t do this again” she picked her bicycle and ran.
Beth was thinking about the voice all through the way. As soon as she reached home, she went to the roof of her house, where she used to sit quietly and relax for sometime. She sat for sometime then went near to the railings looking around everyone and everything. The winds blewing were a little cool, birds were flying, chirping. The weather that day had the power to refresh anyone. Usually, Beth enjoyed it but it is the first time she was a bit unhappy, lost in her thoughts. She noticed two policemen coming out of Kate’s apartment. She quickly went down to her apartment but before she could reach there the policemen went away. She asked the watchman sitting there, “Is it related to Kate?” she frowned. “Oh! I was thinking to inform you. It’s good you are here. Well! How do you come to know about it.” Beth was having mixed feelings at that moment, at the
same moment she was afraid, anxious, angry, shocked that what might have happened to her friend, “I asked is it related to Kate?” “She passed away” he replied. “Ok” said Beth.
She knew he will not tell her until she compels him, she hit his chair with her leg as hard as she could as a result he fell down. She grabbed the rod kept in the corner and hit him a little. “Now before I give you another shot tell me quickly. Don’t you think T’Il spare you as I did last.” He was trembling in fear of getting hit again hardly so he spoke “Kate is missing since last night, probably because of Emma and Akie”, Beth pulled back the rod and grabbed his collar “Do I need to ask you one by one?” “No, no” he nodded “They had a fight over you. Kate chose to be friends with you but they wanted her to work according to them “Beth frowned and pulled him closer “So they must have accused me of this” she left his collar and quickly went towards her home.
She was grief stricken at the thought, how her friend would be, why she took this step, where she must be right now? She went to the roof and stood as if paralyzed, tears were rolling down from her eyes. She blamed herself for all this, neither she ever had met Kate nor Kate ever needed to evade. She weeped silently long before she realised it’s of no use. She started recalling her memories with Kate, all the activities, all the conversations, she remembers Kate once told her that she has run away once to the place she was wishing to go for long, “They always fight with me and blame me for every useless things. I also want to live my life as per my wish. You know once I was wishing to visit the mall near my school but they had a problem with it, so I ran away from my home and went there and that day too I had a fight with Akie and Emma” she told Beth. Last time she was wishing, “I also want to go in the haunted house” she said. Beth thought to tell it to the police.
She waited a while in her balcony keeping an eye on Kate’s apartment. She knew the policemen will come again for interrogation, she started ascending towards the apartment, the policemen also came there as expected. She stopped them, “Excuse me officers, I’m Kate’s friend and I’m sure she went inside the haunted house. I request you to search there too” she was very scared and was continuously thinking about Kate’s well being. “It’s going to be 6, nobody gonna get in and if anyone does you know the result” one of the two policemen replied. “But there’s nothing like that there’s no devil, heard two men whispering to each other and their murmurs were coming from inside the haunted house” Beth was very confident as she said this. “You’re a child. It’s your imagination. Please let us handle this according to us” they patted her. “No” she jerked their hands “I’ll go inside and prove that my friend is there only, safe. But… she is in trouble” she ran towards her home but policeman got catch of her. “You don’t need to do silly things. I can understand you lost your friend.”
Beth was pissed off and started crying “TIL definitely prove it. I don’t leave my facts unproven” she said angrily. The policeman shook his head, “How??… Hmmm…You don’t…” Beth cuts in “It’s your business to think how, you’re a policeman not l” he laughed at the challenge “Stop laughing I’ll tell you how” she told the entire plan of action to them. “How intelligent you’re kid!” they exclaimed agreeing to her plan. “I need to call some more cops for your safety, please wait till they come with the gadgets” policeman requested Beth.
She was excited and afraid “Here we go!” and they went to haunted house. In the transit policeman told Beth, “Sorry kid, considering your safety, we can’t let you go in” “But it’s only me who can go in” “No” he replied. “Please think for a moment. Your cops wouldn’t be dressed in civilian clothes right now and all the cases of abduction by the devil involved only children, no grown ups are involved till now” she put forward a valid point which made them think for a while “No grown ups are involved cause they never entered in.” Beth nodded her head in no “If no men entered in then how would I hear the them murmuring. It didn’t happened once but Theard it continuously for a week and I don’t believe in ghosts and all myths. I think the devil is no spirit but a human. Please let me go in they would try to abduct me only, not anyone else” policeman thought for a while and then replied, “Fine! But be very very careful”, “I’ll” she said.
“Beth…. Bethany…. Beth… Where are you? It’s so late. Mom is asking about you. Beth… Don’t know where she gone she never had done this before” John went to Kate’s apartment unaware about about Kate’s elopement. “Hey!” he called the watchman “Have you seen my sister? Did she come here to meet Kate?” “Your sister went with policemen to the haunted house” he told John. “What??? But why???” John asked “To search her friend”. “She is insane” saying this
John ran towards the haunted house.
“Take this. I’ll help us to track you” policeman told Beth. “Keep on checking the network it might become weak” he added “I know how to fix that. I know how to make it
strong” Beth said. “Sir, I hope you didn’t forget about about the spy camera” he asked his colleagues to give it to Beth. “Please check if it’s connected properly. I’m going in please surround the house” she said as she moved in “You don’t need to remind me that” the officer said. She jumped in through the gate and ascended towards the stairs. It was so dark there. She switched on flash light and noticed the shoe marks on the stair. They seemed to be fresh like someone came in few minutes earlier with his shoes covered in wet mud. She took a step back and went towards the window. It had a small hole she tried to peep in but was unable to have a clear vision so she inserted stick in it and broke a little part of it. It was all dark inside the room. Hardly anything was visible except the numerous white packets.
“Beth…. Beth…. Where is my sister?” John came running and asked the officer. “She is inside don’t worry we’re monitoring her.” “I found incessant white packets” Beth reported them. “Ok! Be careful” he said. Beth moved to the roof through stairs, there she
saw an open space through the wall and got in through it. This was the room that connected all the rooms in the house. She was scared to encounter such creepy things. She moved forward and saw someone standing, she hid behind the table, “Who is this? He seems like devil” she took out her dagger and threw it on him. It fell down and no voice was heard except the falling dagger and the man.
“She is doing great. She must be interested in working our department” said another policeman. John angrily remarked “Are you mad? She is a kid. Her life is in danger right now. You should go in.” “We have already planned everything. We’ll go in as soon as she hints us” he replied. Beth got up and went towards the man. It was no man but a
statue wearing a dress. It had a sound recorder attached to it, was hung using the rope which got cut by the dagger. “This must be the devil that everyone is afraid of. As I said there’s no devil in real. It’s a statue that is used to scare everybody. There must be someone behind this all fuzz” she said to the policemen. Someone was coming up through the stairs. On hearing his footsteps she spontaneously hid behind the table.
This man doesn’t seemed strange to Beth. He was looking for the cause of noise and considered wind the probable reason for the devil to fall. He left then, but forgot to close the door. Beth remembers he is the one who stopped her from entering in haunted house that day. She quickly picked her dagger up and hiding behind the walls, followed him. “You all…… Aren’t you able to finish this piece of work quickly” he furiously said. Beth peeped in and saw many children including Kate, Jake and Josh, packing the white powder. She couldn’t control her excitement on finding her friend. “Please, let me go. My family must be waiting for me. Please, I beg you” Kate cried. “You are new here. You came here as per your wish but you will go when I wish. Don’t you want to have food today too” ‘he tried to scare Kate and ordered his men to keep an eye on everyone. Kate was looking very frightened. Beth wanted to go in soon and hug her, console her that now everything will be alright but she has to be very careful before taking any step now.
“If they are doing it secretly, it must be something illegal, that means this powder is nothing but drugs as shown in television” she said to herself. She removed the spy camera, “Now, you need to come in sir, it’s your turn now” she said looking in the camera. She felt someone’s hand in her shoulder, “Who are you? How you got in here?” somebody among them noticed her and shouted. Beth couldn’t understand what to do now and screamed. She hit him with her dagger. “Quickly, quickly get in” officer commanded the rest of the cops. Three men came out if the room, one by one. Beth hid in the corner and while they were looking to their injured mate, she threw some same powder on their eyes and hit them with the stick kept there. But, they successfully pushed her inside the room.
Other men there captured her and one of them put the gun point at her. She got frightened at the thought that she will be dead if they shot her. She closed her eyes fearing her dead. Suddenly, she heard a gunshot and she screamed. She opened her eyes slowly, shivering in fear and saw she was fine. “Who fired it? You go and check there and you there?” he ordered the other two men. They heard another two gunshots following the screams of their mates. The police finally got in the room “Leave her and surrender” cops suggested them. “If you got closer I’ll fire the bullet inside her head” he replied. Policemen put down their guns and said “Leave her now.” Beth hinted Kate to be ready and she bit the goon’s hand, with her other hand she turned up the nozzle of gun. The other children threw the white powdered drug into goons eyes. The policemen picked up their guns and started firing. Beth and Kate helped the rest children to get out of the room.
The cops successfully captured all the goons while Beth got everyone out successfully. The police thanked Beth and disclosed, “They are smugglers. They run an entire drug gang too. We were trying to catch them since long but got failed everytime. Thank you children because of you we caught them, specially Beth if it wasn’t you who insisted on finding her friend inside this house, we weren’t ever be able to find them” he held the goon tightly, “Now you tell who
and where is the mastermind of this plan?” “He is here” said John accompanying two policemen “He was trying to escape. We noticed him coming out of the house and caught hold of him” he added. “Thanks a lot John for helping us” the officer thanked him with his hands. John handed over the mastermind to the police.
He then slapped the leader of the gang and asked him to admit his crime. The leader confessed everything, “We got to know about this abandonned house so we started drugs packaging and smuggling from here. In order to prevent people from noticing us we pretended to be a devil. After sometime, we improvised with this statue and sound recorder. We played our recorded voice and with the help of rope we moved it here and there. The children who got in here out of excitement were held hostage by us, we feared of getting caught if we let them go, so we used them as our slaves to help us in packaging and manufacturing drugs.” Policeman dragged him inside the car and sent him to jail. Finally the mastermind was arrested with his whole gang. Later, Beth and Kate were honoured for their bravery by the whole crime department. They became precedent for everyone for both their bravery and friendship. After this their friendship never came to an end. They stayed best friends their whole life. Everyone in their area were proud of them. Kate’s sisters were ashamed on their act with her. Crystal and Pearl appreciated Beth’s effort in searching Kate and the bond of all four got more stronger each passing day.