The rain had stopped.
But the factory was not silent.
Inside Blackwood Industrial Factory, something was moving through the dark corridors.
The new guard, Rakesh, arrived at 7:10 in the morning.
He noticed something strange immediately.
The main gate was open.
Arjun was supposed to be on duty until 8 AM.
"Arjun?" Rakesh shouted while entering the guard room.
No answer.
The room looked messy.
The chair was lying on the floor.
The light bulb had shattered.
And the register was open on the table.
Rakesh read the last line written in shaky handwriting:
"If you hear footsteps upstairs… do not go."
He frowned.
"What kind of joke is this?"
He picked up the walkie-talkie.
"Control, this is Blackwood post. The night guard is missing."
Static replied.
Only static.
Then suddenly—
The CCTV monitor turned on by itself.
Camera 7 was active.
Rakesh leaned closer.
The hallway looked exactly the same.
Broken machines.
Dust.
Darkness.
But something was wrong.
Someone was standing at the far end of the hallway.
A tall figure.
Completely still.
Rakesh whispered, "Hey! Who's there?"
The figure slowly lifted its head.
The screen glitched.
For one second, Rakesh saw the face.
It was Arjun.
But something was terribly wrong.
His eyes were completely black.
His mouth stretched into a long unnatural smile.
Then the figure began walking.
Not toward the camera.
Toward the stairs.
Toward the guard room.
Rakesh stepped back from the monitor.
"No… no… this isn't real."
Then he heard it.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Heavy footsteps climbing the metal staircase.
Rakesh grabbed the flashlight.
His hands were shaking.
The footsteps stopped outside the door.
Silence.
Then a slow knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Rakesh's breathing became fast.
"Arjun… is that you?"
No answer.
Just a whisper from the other side of the door.
A whisper that sounded like many voices speaking together.
"Let us in."
The door handle began turning slowly.
Rakesh rushed to hold it shut.
Something on the other side pushed back.
Hard.
Too hard.
The wood started cracking.
And then Rakesh heard another sound.
Footsteps.
Behind him.
But he was alone in the room.
He slowly turned around.
The CCTV monitor was on again.
Camera 7.
And the hallway was now filled with people.
Dozens of figures standing in the darkness.
All of them smiling.
All of them staring directly at the camera.
Then every screen in the room suddenly went black.
And one last whisper filled the guard room.
"Your shift has started."
Outside the factory, the sun was rising.
But inside Blackwood Industrial Factory…
The night had never ended.