Ravi, the ringleader with a mischievous grin, led the group down the silent hallway. Maya, nervous but excited, clung to Adil, who tried to mask his fear with jokes. Priya and Samir brought up the rear, whispering about the rumors of their old principal’s dark secrets. "Come on, don’t chicken out now. The old man’s office is just ahead," Ravi urged, pushing open the creaky door as dust motes danced in the flashlight beams.

Adil darted forward, drawn to the eerie, empty book. As he flipped through its blank pages, a sudden tremor rattled the walls, shaking trophies and sending a chill through the air. The friends exchanged panicked glances as the floor began to vibrate. "Let’s get out of here—now!" Maya shrieked, and they bolted for the door, but not before Ravi snatched the book and stuffed it into his backpack.

"No one talks about tonight. Ever. We forget all of this happened," Priya insisted, her voice trembling. They all nodded, but Ravi secretly clung to the book, curiosity burning in his eyes. "Let’s just go home. It was just an old book, right?" Samir muttered, but unease lingered as they parted ways.

Ravi[/@ch_1] sits alone in his cluttered bedroom. Moonlight slips through blinds, illuminating the book on his desk. Suddenly, the book flips open by itself, revealing a name scrawled in crimson ink—Maya.] "Weird... probably just a trick of the light," Ravi muttered, pushing the book aside. The next morning, news spread that Maya had vanished. One week later, Maya returned, distant and changed, eyes hollow, words clipped. Within days, she transferred schools, and soon after, a news report confirmed her brutal murder by an unknown assailant.

Ravi[/@ch_1]'s window as he sits in bed, the book now a constant shadow in his room. The pages flutter again, this time spelling Adil’s name.] Terrified, Ravi called Priya. Priya answered, voice tight with worry. "I think the book is doing something—names keep appearing, and then bad things happen," "We have to put it back, Ravi. Before it’s too late. Meet me tomorrow at the school,"

Time passed. Graduation came and went. The four surviving friends drifted apart, consumed by the rush of adulthood, the memory of that night buried under years of routine.

As fear crept in, Samir confessed, face pale in the flickering campfire light. "I... I never let the book go. I kept it all these years. I think it’s inside me now. Sometimes, I can’t control what I do."

Samir[/@ch_5]’s eyes darkened unnaturally. The jungle closed in, the air thick with dread, and the other friends realized with horror that the book’s curse lived on.] "We have to get out of here. Now," Priya whispered, voice trembling. The four scrambled through the undergrowth, chased by the echo of Samir's laughter—no longer entirely his own. Their only hope: sever the bond with the book before it claimed them all.