Bibi Gul's house was a small, crumbling structure hidden between modern apartments. She sat on a charpai, wrapped in a faded shawl, her face deeply lined with age.
She listened in silence as the girls told her everything.
When they finished, she closed her eyes.
Then she whispered, "It's happening again."
Areeba's throat tightened. "What do you mean?"
Bibi Gul's fingers trembled. "The alley… was cursed long ago. It was never meant to be walked through at night."
Sana frowned. "Why not?"
Bibi Gul looked at them with haunted eyes.
"Because that's when the Shadows are hungry."
The room felt colder.
Zoya leaned forward. "Tell us everything."
Bibi Gul took a slow, shaky breath. "Sixty years ago, girls started disappearing. One by one. Their bodies were never found. Only pieces—wrapped in colored cloth."
Areeba's blood ran cold.
"No one knew why. The police searched, but the evidence always vanished. The only witnesses… were the dogs."
The girls shivered.
Sana whispered, "Then why did it stop?"
Bibi Gul's hands gripped her shawl.
"Because we found a way to trap the Shadows."
Areeba's heart pounded. "How?"
Bibi Gul's lips trembled. "We made a sacrifice."
The room fell silent.
Then, Bibi Gul leaned forward, her voice a mere breath.
"And now… they want another one."