The Hollow House By Chandrika________________________________________Chapter 1: The InvitationThe house didn’t look haunted.That was the problem.Elias Cole stood outside the three-story Victorian mansion, staring at its pristine white facade, the polished windows reflecting the orange glow of sunset. Too clean. Too perfect. Like it had been waiting."Looks fancy," James muttered beside him, adjusting his gsses. His usual cocky grin faltered as he eyed the house warily.Vera crossed her arms. "Rich people and their weird obsessions," she said. "Who even leaves a house like this abandoned?"Elias pulled the invitation from his jacket pocket. The handwriting was elegant, old-fashioned."Come to Hollow House. A once-in-a-lifetime stay. No cost. No catch."It was ridiculous. And yet… something had drawn him here.He hadn’t told Vera or James, but the night before, he’d had a dream.A dream of this house.Of a whisper calling his name.And a door opening in the dark.________________________________________Chapter 2: Stepping InsideThe door creaked open on its own.Elias’s stomach clenched.James chuckled nervously. "Cssic horror movie shit."Vera elbowed him. "Shut up."They stepped in. The air inside was still.Not stale—too fresh. Like the house had been expecting them.The grand chandelier overhead flickered to life, casting a warm golden glow on the marble floors. Dust motes swirled in the air. The walls were lined with dark wooden bookshelves, filled with identical leather-bound books.James ran a finger over one. "No titles. Creepy."Elias barely heard him.Somewhere in the house, a floorboard creaked.As if someone was moving upstairs.Chapter 3: The First OmenElias barely noticed his own breathing.Something about this house wasn’t right.The chandelier’s golden light made everything seem warm, inviting, almost too perfect. But the moment his foot touched the deep crimson carpet in the foyer, he felt it.Something watching.A cold prickle danced along his spine, and Vera must’ve felt it too because she shivered beside him."Okay," James said, forcing a ugh. "We gonna check this pce out or stand here like scared kids?"Elias swallowed hard. "Let’s look around."They moved deeper into the house, past the grand staircase that led to the second floor. The further they walked, the stronger the feeling grew—like stepping into something alive.And then…A whisper.Elias froze.It wasn’t loud. Not even a word. Just… a breath.Behind him.He spun around.Nothing.But James and Vera had stopped too. Their eyes darted around, uncertain."You heard that, right?" Vera whispered.James swallowed. "What was that?"Elias exhaled. He hadn’t imagined it.And the house… was just getting started.________________________________________Chapter 4: The Locked DoorThey explored the first floor, moving room by room. Everything was pristine, untouched—as if the house had been frozen in time.Until they found the door.At the end of the hall, an old wooden door stood slightly ajar. Unlike the rest of the house, this one was wrong. The wood was dark and uneven, carved with symbols none of them recognized.Vera reached for the handle.Elias grabbed her wrist. "Don’t.""Why?" She pulled away, frowning.James smirked. "Come on, man. You scared of a door?"Elias stared at it. He didn’t know why, but… every instinct screamed not to open it.And then—The door smmed shut.On its own.James jumped back. "Okay, what the hell—"A scraping sound.Low, guttural, from behind the door.Like something shifting.Vera swallowed. "Let’s… move on."They turned.And the door handle twitched.________________________________________Chapter 5: The First NightThat night, they chose their rooms.Elias took the guest bedroom at the end of the hall. The bed was rge, the sheets cold and crisp. Too clean.James and Vera were just down the hall. They left their doors slightly open, because no one wanted to be alone.The house was silent.Until it wasn’t.At 3:12 a.m., Elias’s eyes shot open.Something was in his room.He didn’t move.Didn’t breathe.A shadow stretched across the ceiling—a shape that shouldn’t be there.And then—A voice."You came back."Elias bolted upright.The room was empty.But he wasn’t alone.Not anymore.________________________________________Chapter 6: The Basement CallsBy morning, Elias hadn’t slept.Neither had Vera. Her face was pale, and when she sat down for breakfast, her hands were shaking."You heard it too," Elias said quietly.Vera didn’t answer. James scoffed. "You guys are just freaked out. This house is creepy, sure, but nothing’s happening."And then—A knock.It came from below them.James frowned. "Is that the front door?"Elias stood. "No."Another knock.This time, they knew where it came from.The basement.________________________________________Chapter 7: The DescentThey didn’t want to go down there.But the knocking didn’t stop.Elias led the way. His pulse hammered as he gripped the old wooden railing and stepped down the creaking stairs.The air turned cold.At the bottom, the basement stretched before them—a massive, open space filled with covered furniture and old crates.And in the center of the room…A mirror.Tall. Wide. Wrong.It wasn’t covered in dust like the rest of the basement. It gleamed.Elias took a step closer.His reflection didn’t move.Vera screamed.The mirror shattered.And from the shards, something crawled out.________________________________________

  Chapter 8: The NameA woman’s figure.But not human.Her limbs were too long, her skin stretched too thin. Her bck eyes locked onto Elias, unblinking."You came back," she whispered again.Elias felt a chill deep in his bones."What… are you?" he whispered.The figure tilted her head, smiling too wide."You know my name."The words coiled inside Elias’s mind.Because he did know it.It was buried deep, like a memory forgotten.A name he had dreamed of.Naamah.And the moment he thought it—The house changed.________________________________________

  Chapter 9: No EscapeThey ran.Back up the stairs, through the hallway. The walls shifted, the air thickened, the house grew rger.Doors led to nowhere.Windows showed only darkness.Vera sobbed. "We’re trapped."James grabbed Elias. "What the hell is going on?!"And then, from behind them—Footsteps.Slow. Deliberate."You came back."Naamah was following them.And she wasn’t alone.________________________________________Chapter 10: The Hollow House BreathesThe walls pulsed.The chandeliers flickered.Elias turned—and saw it.The house wasn’t just haunted.It was alive.And they belonged to it now.

  Chapter 11: No Way OutThe house was shifting.Doors that once led to hallways now opened to brick walls.Windows stretched into the abyss—a swirling bck void that swallowed all light.Elias gripped Vera’s wrist. "We need to stick together."James was already panicking. He yanked at the front door, but it wouldn’t budge."Goddamn it!" he roared, smming his fists against the wood.A whisper."You can’t leave."The voice came from behind them.Slowly, too slowly, they turned.Naamah stood at the bottom of the grand staircase. Her bck eyes gleamed, her lips curled into a smile."You were always meant to stay."And the house exhaled.________________________________________

  Chapter 12: The Feeding BeginsThe air grew heavy—like the weight of unseen hands pressing down on their chests.Vera coughed. Her fingers dug into Elias’s arm. "I can’t… breathe."James staggered back. His eyes widened. "What… the hell is that?"At the far end of the hallway, the walls peeled open like flesh.A dark passageway revealed itself—an endless corridor leading into nothing.Elias’s pulse pounded. He didn’t want to go in.But Naamah took a step forward."You will."And the house forced them to move.________________________________________Chapter 13: The Lost RoomThe corridor twisted.Walls pulsed like a heartbeat. The wooden floors groaned under their weight.Then—A door.Unlike the others, this one was open. A single room bathed in flickering candlelight.Elias hesitated. "We shouldn’t—"James pushed forward.The second he stepped inside, the door smmed shut.Gone.Vanished.Vera screamed. "JAMES!"Elias grabbed the doorknob—but there was no door anymore.Only smooth, cold wall.James was erased.And then…From somewhere inside the walls—"He's with us now."________________________________________Chapter 14: The Cracks AppearVera was breaking.Her breath came in ragged gasps, her hands clutched at her head."He was just here. He was right here!" she sobbed.Elias grabbed her shoulders. "We need to stay calm."But he wasn’t calm.His best friend was gone.And the house was watching.Shadows stretched along the ceiling, whispering things in voices he almost understood.And then—A knock.Slow. Measured.From inside the walls.James was knocking.________________________________________Chapter 15: What’s Left of JamesThe knocks turned to scraping.Then—A voice."Elias… let me out."Vera’s breath hitched. "Oh my God. He’s alive."Elias touched the wall. "James? Can you hear me?"The scraping grew frantic."Let me out. She’s inside me."Elias’s stomach dropped.Not she’s in here."She’s inside me."And then James’s voice shifted.It wasn’t James anymore."Let me out, Elias… or I’ll pull you in too."________________________________________

  Chapter 16: The Rotten NurseryThe hallway stretched.Elias and Vera ran—past rooms that weren’t there before.Then they saw it.A door stood open—a nursery.Inside, the walls were covered in old, rotting dolls. Heads cracked. Eyes missing.And in the crib…A child.No.Not a child.Something small. Something writhing under the bnkets.Vera’s voice cracked. "Is that—?"The crib rocked on its own.And a voice like a thousand whispers rose from it."Mama."________________________________________

  Chapter 17: The Truth About NaamahElias grabbed Vera’s hand. "We need to go."But then—The dolls turned their heads.Every single one.Watching.Then, from the crib—the bnkets peeled back.And there she was.Not a child.Something ancient.Naamah.Elias saw her now—her true form. Not just a spirit. Not just a ghost.She had been waiting."You remember me now, don’t you?"And Elias did.________________________________________Chapter 18: The Hollow PactNaamah reached out.Elias felt his body freeze.Memories—fshes of another life—smmed into him.He had been here before.Not in this life. But another.He had made a pact.A promise."You were always meant to return."Elias screamed.And the house swallowed him whole.________________________________________Chapter 19: Vera’s Last StandVera ran.Ran until the walls bled.But the house wouldn’t let her go.Naamah whispered her name."You’re the st one, Vera."A hand grasped her ankle.Elias’s voice—but wrong."Stay with us."Vera turned.And saw his face.Hollow. Stretched. Not human anymore.She screamed.And the house took her too.________________________________________

  Chapter 20: The Hollow House Breathes AgainSilence.The house was still.No screams.No voices.Just the sound of the wind outside, whispering through the trees.The front door unlocked.The house waited.Because it always did.Because someone always came back.And deep inside, beneath the floors—Naamah smiled.Because she was still hungry.