Anggi stood for a long time in front of the door to the empty room at the end of the hallway in her house. Ever since what happened last night, she had felt that something in the house had changed. It wasn’t just the strange sounds or mysterious smell that kept appearing—the atmosphere in her home felt different. As if something was secretly watching her every move.
That morning, sunlight streamed through the gap in the living room window. Anggi sat there, staring at a cup of tea that had already gone cold.
"Are you still thinking about what happened last night?" asked Rara, Anggi’s best friend, who had come to visit.
Anggi nodded slowly.
"Yeah. I don’t understand, Rara. That smell came back. Even though I already cleaned the entire house."
Rara looked toward the long hallway leading to the empty room.
"What I don’t get is, why does the smell only come from that room?"
Anggi fell silent. Rara’s question was the same one that had been on her mind since yesterday. The room hadn’t been used in a long time. In fact, ever since moving into the house, Anggi had never really gone inside.
"I asked Mom about that room once," Anggi said quietly.
"And?"
"She just told me not to open it too often."
Rara furrowed her brow.
"Why?"
"I don’t know either."
The two of them looked at each other. Their curiosity was beginning to overpower their fear.
Finally, Anggi made up her mind.
"Let’s take a look."
Rara immediately turned toward her.
"Look at that room?"
"Yeah. I’m tired of being afraid of something I don’t even know."
They slowly walked toward the end of the hallway. The closer they got to the door, the more they could feel the air around them changing. Anggi felt an unusual chill.
As her hand touched the doorknob, the strange smell that had been bothering her suddenly appeared.
The smell was back.
It wasn’t an ordinary rotten smell. It was more like a mixture of wet earth, wilted flowers, and something difficult to describe.
Rara immediately covered her nose.
"Anggi... do you smell it too?"
Anggi nodded.
"Yeah."
With trembling hands, Anggi slowly opened the door.
Creeeak...
The old door’s groan made them both fall silent.
The room was completely dark. The curtains were tightly shut, making it difficult for the sunlight to get in. Dust covered several old items stored inside.
There was a small table, an old wardrobe, and a wooden box in the corner of the room.
"How come I never knew there was this much stuff in here?" Anggi whispered.
Rara slowly stepped inside.
"Maybe because nobody wants to come in here."
Anggi looked around. Nothing seemed frightening. But she still felt uneasy.
As they approached the wooden box, a sound like something falling suddenly came from inside the wardrobe.
BANG!
They both jumped.
"What was that?" Rara asked in a panic.
Anggi stared at the old wardrobe beside the wall.
"I think it came from there."
They moved closer. Anggi carefully opened the wardrobe door.
There was nothing inside.
Only a few old clothes hanging there.
"Maybe it was just a rat," Rara said, trying to ease the tension.
But Anggi felt that something was strange.
Because at the back of the wardrobe, she saw something.
An old photograph wedged between the wooden boards.
Anggi picked it up and brushed off the dust.
Her expression immediately changed.
"Rara..."
"What?"
Anggi handed her the photograph.
It showed a family standing in front of their house. But what left Anggi speechless was the little girl standing beside them.
The girl was wearing the same clothes Anggi had once seen in her visions.
Rara studied the photograph.
"Who is she?"
Anggi shook her head.
"I don’t know."
Suddenly, a cold wind blew in through the window.
Even though the bedroom window was closed.
At the same time, the mysterious smell grew stronger.
Anggi and Rara immediately turned toward the corner of the room.
There, the old wooden box that had been closed began to open by itself.
They both froze.
"Anggi... let’s get out of here," Rara whispered.
But Anggi didn’t move. Her eyes were fixed on the box.
There was something inside.
Something that might explain why the strange smell kept appearing.
Anggi slowly approached the box.
"Don’t, Anggi," Rara said, grabbing her hand.
"I have to know."
Anggi opened the box.
Inside were several old letters and a small book with a black cover.
When she picked up the book, its first page immediately fell open.
A name was written there.
A name that suddenly made Anggi’s body go cold.
Because it was the same name as the little girl in the photograph.
And beneath the name was a short message that made Anggi’s heart beat faster and faster.
"I’m still in this house."
Anggi dropped the book.
Rara stared at her in fear.
"What does that mean?"
Anggi didn’t answer.
Because right after that, the mysterious smell appeared again.
This time, it wasn’t only coming from the room.
It was coming from behind them.
They slowly turned around.
The hallway, which had been empty moments ago, now seemed to have someone standing at the far end.
Someone visible only as a dark shadow.
Anggi gripped Rara’s hand.
"Don’t move..."
The shadow slowly advanced.
And for the first time, Anggi realized that the secret of the house wasn’t just about the mysterious smell.
Something had been living with them all along.