Chapter 1
“Little child, can you hear me?” a sweet but eerie voice called from outside, drifting through the dark, cramped cabin.
Curled up in the corner, the child squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms tightly around her knees.
“Are you scared? Don’t be.” The voice was hauntingly gentle.
The child stayed silent.
“Why won’t you answer me?”
Her voice remained sweet, almost playful.
“Come outside, there’s a surprise waiting here for you.”
The child remained curled in the corner, barely daring to breathe.
“Hello? Talk to me.”
Then—
Rattle.
“I know you’re in there.”
The woman's voice had changed.
BANG! BANG!
The door rattled violently.
The child covered her ears.
Then came a horrible scraping sound.
Screeeech...
Something dragged its nails slowly across the wooden door.
Once.
Twice.
Then again, harder.
SCRAAAAATCH.
The sound traveled across the wood, leaving long, shrill scratches.
“Why won't you let me in?”
Her voice was no longer sweet. Instead, a sharp edge of irritation crept into every word.
BANG!
“LET ME IN!”
The door shook violently.
“YOU CAN HEAR ME, RIGHT?!”
The child whimpered and buried her face against her knees.
The scratching grew faster.
Scratch. Scratch. Scratch.
Fingernails clawed desperately at the door, accompanied by frantic pounding that made the entire cabin shudder.
“Open the door!”
BANG!
“Open it!”
BANG!
“OPEN IT!”
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The hinges creaked.
The entire cabin trembled.
Dust fell from the ceiling as the wooden walls groaned under the force pounding against the door.
Empty glass jars sitting on the shelf suddenly began to shake.
One toppled over and shattered across the floor, scattering sharp shards in every direction.
Then another fell.
And another.
The entire shelf began rattling uncontrollably as the cabin itself trembled.
“KRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH—!!!” Her scream was almost piercing, sharp enough to make the child's ears ring.
Suddenly—
Everything stopped.
The pounding ceased.
The scratching stopped.
Silence.
The child slowly lowered her hands from her ears.
Then—
BANG!
The nailed-shut window trembled violently.
The wooden frame creaked as something struck the glass from the other side.
A hand suddenly appeared against the window.
It was unnaturally pale and bluish. Its fingers were long and crooked, their tips darkened to an almost black color. Jagged nails scraped against the glass with a shrill, grating sound.
SCRAAAAATCH.
The child slowly lifted her head.
Another deafening bang struck the window.
And there she was.
A woman, with her face pressed against the glass window.
Her skin was deathly pale, almost blue beneath the dim light. Her eyes bulged wide as they searched the dark cabin without blinking.
The woman’s eyes suddenly locked onto hers.
For a moment, she simply stared.
Then—
Her lips curled into a wide, crooked smile.
“There you are...”
Her voice was barely a whisper.
A giggle escaped behind her hand.
“I've found you.”
The child's face went pale.
The ghost's smile widened.
BANG!
Her forehead struck the window.
BANG! BANG!
Her hands slammed against the glass, her blackened nails scraping wildly across its surface.
“Found you!”
Her eyes gleamed with the excitement of a predator spotting its prey.
“Found you! Found you! Found you!”
Her voice rose to a deafening pitch.
She began pounding on the window with frantic, desperate blows.
The entire cabin shook.
The nailed frame groaned as though it might tear itself apart, while the ghost clawed at the glass, trying desperately to force her way inside.
The child shrank back into the corner.
And then the ghost began laughing.
A shrill, breathless laugh that grew louder with every violent strike against the window.
“Hehehehe... KYAAAAAH! HAHAHAHAHA!”
***
“Gasp!”
The woman jolted awake, sitting upright as she struggled to catch her breath.
Still shaken from the nightmare, she quickly reached for the pitcher beside her bed. Her hands trembled as she hurriedly poured herself a glass of water and drank it in desperate gulps.
She swallowed too quickly and suddenly choked.
“Kh—!”
The glass slipped from her hand and shattered against the floor.
Coughing violently, she stumbled to her knees, one hand braced against the floor as she fought to draw in a proper breath. Her eyes watered as she gasped between coughs.
After a moment, she finally managed to breathe again.
Still kneeling on the floor, she slowly raised her head.
Her gaze drifted toward the window.
For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her from the other side.
