Hi readers,

Thank you!

In this era of social media like Instagram, Facebook, and other

social media handles. You picked up a book, I would like to thank

you for picking up, especially my book.

A big virtual hug and warm thanks to the reader, supporting and

encouraging me to be the best of my version. And also picking up

my weak points which I tried to heal this time.

You help me improve and keep me humble. I know I am not

perfect but, I will try harder and get better.

Prologue

26th April

12:30 am,

Lexington city, Virginia, 2003.

Some gradual-constant steps are striding through an uninhabited

road. The street lights are drained, there is nothing segregate

darkness. The crisp leaves on the ground sound like someone are

overpowering the bones.

On that unoccupied sight, where no one has even caught an eye, a

guy is walking deserted, with just an air beside him. With a

population of 2.64 lakhs, the city is beautiful in its way. The sleepy

hollow road is amongst the most visited places in Lexington. But

just visited, there is no return. Richie Wcent, age 31, a worker at

the oil factory on the outskirts of the city.

Returning from his shift, by catching the same hollow road. His

phone rang,

'Hello.' He said.

'Where are you? Do you know what time it is?' a woman on the

other end said.

'Babe, I know it is late, but what can I do?'

'Your boss, I will kill him one day.' She said.

He chuckles,

'You are a teacher not some kind of serial killer.'

'I am worried about you, where are you right now?' she asks.

He takes a look at his back,

'No idea, I guess… I am lost.' He hesitantly said.

'What?' she shouted.

Richie impelled his phone away from his ear, in order to save it

from a loud shout.

'Don't worry, I will be with you soon. Love you, bye.' He said.

And he draws the phone away from his ear, by grasping it in his

right hand.

Again space got out of volume, total silence. Suddenly his

movement pulled the brakes. He catches a sinful house, just a few

steps from him. On the right hand of the road, a creep and daunt

looking house was standing. Like the whole space is made for that

house. The house was surrounded by a small square garden, with a

metal gate, which was kept locked. The house was old furnished

from outside, a brown color taken as a base. A door in the center,

with 3 windows on both hands side. Every window is half-broken

with something like stones. The tree was an addition to the house,

every haunted house contains a tree, it must. And some clothes

resting on the tree.

A 2 mezzanine apartment, There was no name outside the house,

and no cars parked nearby. He stopped and stood, looking at the

building. It was tall and dark and covered in jagged gray stones.

Lots of the windows were broken, and the door looked like a

giant's big mouth. He took a deep breath as his teeth started to

chatter, and knees started to jelly. Then he gazed up at the scary

building again and gulped.

'I can get some help from them.' He said.

He starts his way to the house. Faces the gate,

'Anyone there?' he shouts.

He takes a proper look into it.

And then slowly the house door loses its place. He smiles in relief,

'Hey, I need help. I am a bit lost'.

The door shuts.

'What the hell? I need help.' He shouts.

Then his phone beeps, there was a message from an unknown

number.

The message reads, "A truck will crush you in 50 seconds, the

countdown begins."

After reading the message, he got shocked.

'Who the fuck sends me this?'

He tries to delete the message, but he couldn't.

'This is bullshit.'

And he starts walking, then suddenly his phone fall off the road.

Looks like something kicked the phone from his hands.

'Holy-shit.' He said,

He was irritated by the scenes he saw, he bends to pick the phone

and the phone shifts in the middle of the road. He shook his head

in confusion,

'Am I drunk?'

He reached his phone and picks it up, and a truck rapidly crushed

him under the moving tires.

His phone was laying aside from the road, it switched on and the

message got deleted by itself.

The thunder strikes the top of the house and a loud scream rises

from the dark side of 'The Locked House.'