THE TAJ MAHAL GHOST - The Forbidden Floor

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CHAPTER 3 – THE FORBIDDEN FLOOR

The next morning, Aaliya barely slept.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the woman standing in the corner of the room.

Her parents tried to convince her it had all been a nightmare.

"The storm frightened you," her father said.

But Aaliya knew what she had seen.

The wet footprints.

The writing on the mirror.

The whisper.

Five... four... four...

After breakfast, curiosity became stronger than fear.

While her parents attended the family event, Aaliya decided to explore the hotel.

The grand corridors looked normal during the day.

Guests laughed.

Staff members smiled.

Nothing seemed unusual.

Yet Aaliya couldn't stop thinking about Room 544.

She walked to the reception desk.

"Excuse me," she asked politely. "Where is Room 544?"

The receptionist's smile vanished.

For several seconds, he stared at her.

Then he quietly replied,

"There is no Room 544."

A chill ran through her body.

"But I saw the key yesterday."

"You must be mistaken."

His voice sounded nervous.

Too nervous.

Before Aaliya could ask another question, an elderly bellboy suddenly appeared beside her.

His face turned pale when he heard the number.

"Stop asking about that room," he whispered.

Then he hurried away.

Aaliya's heart raced.

Someone was hiding something.

That evening she followed the bellboy.

He entered a small storage area behind an old staircase.

When he left, Aaliya slipped inside.

Dust covered the room.

Broken furniture lay scattered everywhere.

In one corner sat an ancient hotel blueprint.

Her hands trembled as she opened it.

The map showed every room.

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Then—

544.

Aaliya stared in disbelief.

The room existed.

Someone had deliberately erased it from the hotel's records.

Suddenly a cold wind swept through the storage room.

The blueprint fluttered across the floor.

Aaliya chased it.

The paper stopped against a dusty wall.

And there she saw something impossible.

A hidden elevator.

It was concealed behind old wooden panels.

The elevator doors were covered in scratches.

As if someone had desperately tried to escape.

Above the doors was a faded sign:

PRIVATE FLOOR — CLOSED 1954

Aaliya's stomach twisted.

The elevator should not have power.

Yet a single button glowed red.

The number displayed was:

Then—

DING.

The elevator opened by itself.

Darkness waited inside.

No lights.

No sound.

Only darkness.

Aaliya stepped backward.

Then she heard a voice.

A woman's voice.

Soft.

Broken.

Coming from inside the elevator.

"Help me..."

The doors remained open.

Waiting.

Inviting her.

Then another voice whispered directly behind her ear:

"Don't let her find you."

Aaliya spun around.

Nobody was there.

When she looked back—

A pale woman stood inside the elevator.

Her white dress was soaked.

Her head tilted unnaturally.

And for the first time, Aaliya could see her face.

The woman's eyes were completely black.

Her lips slowly stretched into a terrifying smile.

Then the elevator doors slammed shut.

DING.

The display changed.

5...

4...

Aaliya watched in horror as the elevator stopped at a floor that should not exist.

Room 544 was waiting.

End of Chapter 3.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0vMnEEDgew

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