CHAPTER 1 – COMIC DIALOGUES
"The Bungalow That Watches"
Some places are not meant to be found…
Aarav: We've been driving for hours… why is there no one here?
Riya: This doesn't feel like a village… it feels abandoned.
Kabir: Relax… it's just quiet.
Meera: …No. It's not quiet. It's watching.
And then… they saw it.
Aarav: That's… our bungalow?
Riya: Why are the lights on…?
Kabir: Looks expensive. Maybe we got lucky.
Meera: Or maybe… someone is already inside.
CREEEEAK…
Riya: Who opened the door…?
Aarav: …No one touched it.
No dust. No signs of time. No signs of life.
Kabir: This place is too clean…
Meera: …Like it was waiting.
For a few hours… they forgot their fear.
Riya: See? Nothing is wrong. We were just overthinking.
TICK… TICK… TICK…
But at 3:00 AM… everything changed.
THUD
Aarav: That came from upstairs.
Kabir: …We didn't go upstairs.
STEP… DRAG… STEP…
Riya: Someone is walking…
Meera: …That's not walking. That's dragging.
YOU… DO NOT BELONG HERE.
SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!
Aarav: RUN!
Far away… someone was already watching them.
Old Man: The curse has awakened…
And it knows… where they came from.
CHAPTER 2: THE UNINVITED GUEST
The air in the living room turned ice-cold. The warmth they felt just moments ago was replaced by a heavy, metallic smell—like old coins and dried blood.
Aarav: (Whispering) Nobody move. If we can hear it, it can hear us.
Riya: (Gripping Aarav's arm so hard her knuckles are white) We have to leave, Kabir. Now. I don't care about the money or the "luck." This house is a trap.
Kabir: (His voice cracking) It's... it's probably just old pipes. Or a stray animal. You know how these village houses are in the middle of nowhere.
Meera: (Eyes fixed on the dark landing upstairs) No animal mimics the rhythm of a human foot. Listen.
SFX:STEP... DRAG... STEP...
The sound stopped at the very edge of the staircase. A tall, twisted shadow began to stretch across the ceiling, elongated by the flickering chandelier. It looked like a person, but the neck was bent at a sickening angle.
Meera: Kabir... look at the wall. Look at the shadow. It... it doesn't have a head.
Kabir: (Swallowing hard, he picks up a heavy brass vase) I'm going to see who it is. We can't just sit here like sitting ducks!
Aarav: Kabir, stop! Don't be a hero!
But Kabir was already on the third step. The wood didn't just creak—it groaned, as if the house itself was screaming in pain.
Kabir: (Yelling toward the darkness) Hello? Who's there? We're just travelers! We don't want any trouble!
The house went silent. Then, every light in the bungalow turned a deep, suffocating blood-red.
SFX:SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!
Every door and window in the house shuttered at once. Aarav lunged for the front door, pulling the handle with all his strength, but it wouldn't budge. It felt like it was welded shut.
Riya: Break the glass! Use the chair!
Aarav threw a wooden chair at the window, but instead of shattering, the chair bounced off. The glass felt like solid stone.
Ghost Voice: (A rasping sound that seemed to come from inside their own ears) YOU... HAVE... STAYED... TOO... LONG.
In the center of the room, the dust began to swirl in a tiny, violent cyclone. It settled on the floor, forming a single, terrifying word: PUNISHMENT.
Meera: It's not just a ghost. The house... it's alive. It's keeping us.
Far away, the Old Man by the fire closed his eyes and whispered to the wind.
Old Man: They shouldn't have opened the door. Once the Bungalow tastes their fear, it never lets go.
CHAPTER 3: THE LOOP OF DESPAIR
SFX:CRASH!
The four of them burst through the front door as the wood finally splintered under the pressure of their collective panic. They didn't look back. They didn't stop to breathe.
Aarav: THE CAR! GET TO THE CAR!
They scrambled across the gravel, their shoes crunching loudly in the deathly silence of the yard. Behind them, the Old Man was standing by the gate, his face twisted in a mask of pure terror. He wasn't trying to stop them anymore—he was begging.
Old Man: (Screaming in frustration) LEAVE! LEAVE IMMEDIATELY! SHE IS COMING! SHE IS ALREADY BEHIND YOU!
Aarav: (Fumbling with the keys) Come on... come on... start you piece of junk!
SFX:Cough... sputter... silence.
Riya: (Sobbing) Aarav, hurry! She's right there!
The air behind the car began to distort. From the shadows of the bungalow's porch, The Ghost emerged. She was hauntingly beautiful yet terrifying—her skin was the color of moonlight, her long black hair floated as if she were underwater, and her eyes were two pits of endless, glowing violet fire. She wore a traditional white saree that trailed behind her like mist, stained with ancient red earth.
Ghost: (A voice like grinding glass) STAY... WITH... ME.
The Ghost didn't walk; she glided. In a flash of violet light, she appeared behind the Old Man. Before he could even gasp, she touched his shoulder. His body turned to gray ash instantly, scattering into the wind.
SFX:VROOM!
The engine roared to life. Aarav slammed the car into gear, the tires screaming as they tore out of the driveway.
Kabir: (Looking back) She's gone... we made it! We're out!
Meera: (Quietly, looking at the GPS) No. Look at the road.
They had been driving at 120 km/h for ten minutes, but the scenery wasn't changing. Every time they rounded a corner, the same rusted gate appeared. The same overgrown trees. And then...
Riya: (Screaming) NO! THAT'S THE HOUSE!
The bungalow appeared on their left. Then, after another kilometer, it appeared again on their right. No matter how fast Aarav drove, the "The Bungalow That Watches" was always there, waiting at the end of every stretch of road.
Aarav: It's a loop! The road is folding in on itself!
Meera: Look there! On the right! That jungle path... it's the only way that doesn't lead back to the front gate.
Kabir: That's a dirt track, Aarav! The car might not make it!
Aarav: We don't have a choice! Anything is better than passing that house again!
Aarav yanked the steering wheel to the right. The car jolted violently as it left the pavement, crashing through thick ferns and low-hanging branches. The jungle swallowed them whole. The trees here were so dense they blocked out the moon, leaving them in total, suffocating darkness.