The First Investigation
The clock struck 9:00 P.M.
Dark clouds covered the sky as a light rain began to fall once again.
The SDU's black armored vehicle slowly came to a stop in front of Black Mansion.
Ali Shaheen stepped out first.
He stood silently for a few moments, carefully studying every corner of the abandoned mansion.
Hamza folded his arms with a confident smile.
"Sir, I honestly don't think this case is that difficult."
"Maybe someone just created ghost stories to scare people away."
Ayesha chuckled.
"Right... and if we meet a ghost, you can bore it to death with one of your lectures."
Bilal quickly raised his hand.
"I just have one important question..."
"If a Jinn calls my name..."
"...am I officially allowed to faint?"
Zayan answered before anyone else could.
"You already look halfway there."
Everyone laughed.
Everyone except Ali.
Without saying a word, he crouched down and began examining the muddy ground near the entrance.
Hamza looked confused.
"Did you find something?"
Ali pointed toward the footprints.
"Four people walked into this mansion."
He slowly stood up.
"But only one set of footprints came back out."
The smiles disappeared instantly.
Ayesha frowned.
"But according to the report..."
"The entire family disappeared."
Ali calmly replied,
"Reports can be wrong."
"The ground rarely lies."
At that moment...
Tiny silver lights appeared beside Ali.
Within seconds...
Noor silently materialized beside him.
Only Ali could see her.
Only Ali could hear her voice.
She quietly whispered,
"Look at the right side of the door."
Ali shifted his eyes.
Long claw marks were carved deep into the old wooden frame.
Fresh.
Not old.
Ali gently touched one of them.
"These weren't made by a human."
Suddenly...
CREEEEAAAK...
The rusty front gate slowly slammed shut behind them.
Bilal nearly jumped behind Hamza.
"I told you!"
"This place hates visitors!"
Ayesha burst into laughter.
"If a demon shows up..."
"...he'll probably run away after seeing how scared you are."
Bilal sighed dramatically.
"One day..."
"I'm going to get eaten because nobody takes me seriously."
Ali calmly walked to the gate.
He pushed it.
It opened immediately.
Hamza blinked.
"But..."
"I thought we were trapped."
Ali looked at him.
"We weren't."
"It only wanted us to believe we were."
Hamza frowned.
"What's the difference?"
Ali answered without hesitation.
"A creature that controls your mind..."
"...doesn't need to control your body."
Silence filled the air.
The team slowly entered the mansion.
The smell of old wood...
Wet walls...
And something burned...
Filled every hallway.
Hamza switched on his flashlight.
Ali reached over...
And quietly switched it off.
Hamza looked surprised.
"Sir?"
"It's completely dark."
Ali replied calmly,
"The darkness isn't only watching us..."
"We should learn to watch it too."
Suddenly...
THUD... THUD... THUD...
A small red ball rolled down the staircase.
Bilal screamed.
"IT'S HERE!"
Ayesha picked up the ball.
She smiled.
"It's just a toy."
Bilal let out a long breath.
"Thank God..."
The very next second...
The ball slowly slipped out of Ayesha's hand...
And began rolling back up the staircase...
On its own.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Bilal pointed at it with trembling hands.
"I take back everything I said..."
"It's definitely haunted!"
Even Ayesha stopped smiling.
Ali walked toward the ball.
He carefully examined it.
A thick layer of dust covered almost every inch of it.
Except for one small area.
It was perfectly clean.
As if someone had been holding it only moments ago.
Ali quietly said,
"This isn't a toy."
"It's a message."
Noor whispered beside him,
"She wants you to come upstairs."
Just then...
A little girl's laughter echoed from the second floor.
"He... He... He..."
The sound spread through every room.
Zayan slowly placed one hand on the sword strapped to his back.
For the first time...
Even Hamza looked nervous.
"Sir..."
"What do we do now?"
Ali looked toward the dark staircase.
His expression never changed.
Then he calmly answered,
"Now..."
"The real investigation begins."
