At the Elira residence…
Julie struggled to keep up as Elira dragged her into the house.
"What's wrong with you?" she gasped.
Elira slammed the door shut. "Are you out of your mind? Do you even know what danger you've walked into? You brought your daughter here? At her age?"
"I know," Julie said calmly. "I know everything."
Just then, a teenage girl descended the staircase—quiet, wide-eyed, no older than Laura.
"Mom? What's going on?" she asked.
Elira quickly masked her tension. "Meet our new neighbor."
"Hi," the girl smiled. "You must have a daughter too?"
"Yes... how do you know?" Julie asked.
"She only ever yells when the visitor has a daughter," the girl replied, unnervingly casual.
"That's enough, go to bed," Elira snapped.
The girl waved and disappeared upstairs.
Julie crossed her arms. "Now, you were warning me about my daughter?"
Elira sighed, sat down, and wiped her eyes. "We came to this town for peace. But peace doesn't live here. Creatures do."
Julie's expression changed.
Elira continued, voice trembling, "It started with the house opposite yours. A mother lived there with her 16-year-old daughter. One night, we heard screaming. We all rushed in. The girl… she was possessed. She was licking her own menstrual blood, laughing in a voice that wasn't human. 'You want to leave this town?' it said. 'She's mine. She always will be.' Her mother begged, touched her feet, weeping. The creature left on one condition—he'd possess her daughter three days every month. The mother agreed. She had no choice."
Julie's blood ran cold.
"She doesn't talk anymore," Elira added. "Barely leaves the house. Goes to school once in a while. Every time I remember that night… I shiver. Because I also have a daughter."
"Did they never seek help? A priest or—"
"We tried. Everyone tried. Then… someone in my family met an old priest. He said: 'Only one child can end this. A child with a mark on his neck. A pure heart. One who sees through the soul.'"
Julie's voice cracked. "Who?"
"Your son, Jack."
Julie froze. "Jack? He's just a boy—he doesn't even understand—"
"But he fits the prophecy. That's why I checked his neck. He has the mark."
A knock interrupted the rising tension. Smith and Williams entered with the children.
"Everything alright?" Smith asked.
"We were just discussing some design plans," Julie replied quickly.
"Good. It's time to head home," Smith said.
As they turned to leave, Elira's daughter, Rana, stood at the stairs. Jack looked up. Their eyes met. She smiled. He smiled back. Elira and Julie watched them closely.
Later that evening, at the Smiths'
After unpacking, the family settled into the new house. As the doorbell rang, Smith opened the door… no one.
A second ring. This time, Williams stood outside.
"We're ready," he said.
The Smiths joined the Williams family for dinner. Elira welcomed them in. Rana smiled at Laura and Jack. She sat beside Jack.
"You're sweet," she whispered.
Williams beamed. "He's a good boy."
Over dinner, Smith asked, "How many neighbors do we have here?"
"Seven," Williams said.
"Shall we invite them to a small welcome gathering?"
"Better do it in the afternoon," Elira insisted. "Evenings are... difficult."
"Alright," Smith agreed, a bit puzzled.
That night...
The family slept in one room. Jack and Smith on the floor, Julie and Laura on the bed.
At 2:00 a.m., Julie awoke, parched. She tiptoed to the dark kitchen. The silence was thick. As she drank, she felt someone behind her. She turned. No one.
On the sofa sat Laura, silent in the shadows.
"Laura?" she whispered. "Why are you out of bed?"
No reply. Julie approached her—
"Mom, there's no one there," Jack's voice cut through the silence as he flicked on the lights.
Julie blinked. The sofa was empty. Her forehead beaded with sweat.
Back in the room, Laura stepped out of the bathroom.
"Had a stomach ache," she explained.
"Come sleep beside me," Julie said softly.
Later, Jack whispered, "Wake me next time you need to go."
Laura just smiled. A strange, silent smile.
The Next Morning
Jack was the first up, excited about the party. Julie noticed a faint unease in Laura but said nothing.
Moments later, Julie confirmed it—Laura had started her first period.
Smith was overjoyed. "We'll celebrate! Double treats today!"
After breakfast, Smith and Jack went to invite neighbors. Williams joined.
They hesitated at the house across the street.
"They never open the door," Williams warned.
"Let's try," Jack said.
He knocked. No answer. Knocked again. Finally, the door creaked open.
A girl, Bella, stood there. Her eyes met Jack's. She exhaled sharply, as if relieved.
"Hi, kid. You lost?" she asked.
"No, I'm Jack. We're hosting a party. Please join us."
Bella smiled. "Come in."
Jack glanced at Williams—shocked. No one had ever been invited into that house.
Inside, the home was neatly kept. A woman entered from the kitchen—Anchal. She froze when she saw Jack.
"Hi Aunty. My name is Jack," he said brightly.
She came close. Her eyes dropped to his neck. She saw the mark. Her breath caught.
"Please sit," she said softly.
Bella sat quietly, hair covering a wounded mark on her forehead.
"Can I touch it?" Jack asked.
Before Anchal could react, Jack brushed Bella's wound. At first, she shivered. Then her body relaxed—as though something had left.
Jack looked to the window.
Something moved.
Anchal rushed to close it.
"How did you get hurt?" he asked Bella.
She and her mother quickly stitched a lie. Jack didn't question it.
"I have a sister. I'll protect her too," he said with childlike innocence.
"You have a sister? What's her age?" Anchal asked.
"Thirteen. Same as Bella."
Anchal hesitated. Then nodded.
"We'll come."
do you think there is terror in this?
"Thank you, aunty. We'll be waiting," Jack said politely as he stepped out of the house. His father and Williams stood by the gate.
As Jack approached, Smith asked, "Are they coming?"
"Yes, Dad. She said they'll join us."
"Alright then. Let's head to the next house," Smith said, patting his shoulder.
They visited the remaining neighbors—Mr. and Mrs. Molly, Mr. and Mrs. Dan, and Mr. and Mrs. Maxwell. Each gave warm smiles, some hesitant nods, and a promise to stop by.
As they wrapped up, Smith turned to Williams. "Come have breakfast with us."
Williams shook his head, smiling. "No, no. My wife's waiting. I'll be there later for the party."
With that, he walked away.
Jack and Smith returned home, where Julie and Laura were already setting the table.
After breakfast, Julie clapped her hands. "Come on, let's start getting things ready."
Jack and Laura began moving chairs and arranging balloons while Julie went upstairs to retrieve window curtains.
But as she entered the bedroom, her steps faltered.
Something felt wrong.
The room was cold… unnaturally cold.
She noticed the bed.
The sheets were gone—ripped away, as if yanked violently. And where Laura had slept, the mattress had been slashed open in jagged, deep lines. Foam spilled out like torn flesh.
Julie's breath caught.
She turned sharply—no one was behind her. And yet, she felt something brush her back… like fingers just barely grazing skin.
"Who's there?" she whispered.
Silence.
Her heart pounded. She grabbed a fresh bedsheet from the cupboard and rushed to the laundry to soak the ruined one, trying to calm her spiraling thoughts.
By the time she came downstairs, she was trembling.
Jack was the first to notice. "Mom? You're sweating."
Julie forced a smile. "Nothing, dear. Just tired."
"Don't stress too much," Smith added gently.
Jack nodded and picked up the trash. "I'll throw this outside."
As he stepped out into the crisp afternoon air, something caught his eye.
Across the lawn, under the old banyan tree, a figure sat motionless on the grass.
A boy—or a man—thin, dirty, and eerily still.
Watching.
Jack tilted his head, curious. He walked back inside, grabbed a small plate of snacks, and returned to the tree.
The stranger was still there.
Jack approached slowly, heart beating with excitement and unease. He sat beside the figure, offering a shy smile.
"Hi," Jack said cheerfully. "I brought this for you. We're having a party today—since we moved in."
The stranger didn't speak. His eyes were strange—too deep, too dark, almost empty.
Jack reached out to shake hands. The figure didn't move.
Undeterred, Jack took the man's hand and shook it gently. "That's how friends do it," he grinned.
The stranger leaned closer.
Too close.
He whispered into Jack's ear. The words were not in English. They didn't sound human.
Jack's smile faded, his body stiffened.
Then the man stood up, patted Jack on the head, and walked away—vanishing behind the trees without a sound.
Jack stared after him. He waved, slowly.
Julie was waiting at the door. "Where were you?"
"I was talking to my friend," Jack said, eyes still distant.
Julie frowned. "Since when do you know him?"
Jack blinked. "I don't remember. I meet him… every day."
Julie froze.
Every day?
They had just moved here.
She looked past Jack, to the empty tree.
No one was there.