I had always believed that the most difficult part of final year would be finishing my project.

I was wrong.

At the time, my greatest concerns were my supervisor's corrections, deadlines, presentations and the constant pressure that came with being a final-year student. Every week seemed to bring another academic problem. If it wasn't an assignment, it was a meeting. If it wasn't a meeting, it was our research project.

Then came the announcement that would change everything.

Our department had approved a field excursion for our final-year project. We were expected to travel to a remote mountain community, conduct interviews, observe the environment and gather information that would contribute to our research.

Our project title was:

"An Exploratory Study of the Socio-Cultural and Environmental Factors Influencing Community Health and Well-Being among Mountain Communities."

It sounded serious enough to impress our supervisors.

To us, however, it sounded like an excuse to travel.

The destination was Lumi Mountain.

I had never heard of it before.

When the coordinator mentioned the name during our first briefing, I quietly searched for it on my phone. The pictures immediately caught my attention.

Lumi Mountain was beautiful.

Mist covered the upper parts of the mountain almost every morning. Thick vegetation surrounded the slopes, while narrow paths disappeared between enormous rocks. From some of the photographs, the mountain seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky.

It looked peaceful.

It looked untouched.

And, most importantly, it looked like somewhere we could take plenty of pictures.

I was going with fourteen other people.

There was Mosun, who was one of the most outgoing people in our group. Emmanuel was always ready to make everyone laugh, while Patience was usually the one trying to keep him out of trouble.

There were also Amos, Fatimah and Sarah.

Then there were Keji, Charles, Anabella, Lateefah, Adeife, Wonder and Lateef.

Lateef and Lateefah were twins.

And there was me.

Aliyah.

I wasn't close to everyone in the group. In fact, there were only two people I could honestly call my closest friends among them.

Lateefah.

And Adeife.

Lateefah and I had been close for a long time. She understood me in a way most people didn't, and Adeife was the person I could sit beside for hours without feeling the need to fill every silence.

The three of us had already planned how we would spend the trip.

"We're taking pictures before we even unpack," Adeife declared.

"Of course," Lateefah agreed.

I laughed.

"We're going there for research."

Adeife stared at me.

"Aliyah, please."

Lateefah burst out laughing.

"Don't let her start acting serious now."

I smiled.

I didn't know then how much I would later miss that laughter.

Our trip became even more exciting when Mosun revealed that her father owned a house on Lumi Mountain.

"We won't need a hotel," she told us.

Charles looked suspicious.

"Your father has a house on a mountain?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

Mosun shrugged.

"He likes the environment."

Charles shook his head.

"Your family is strange."

Mosun threw a bottle of water at him.

Everyone laughed.

The journey began early in the morning.

The first few hours were ordinary. We talked, played music and shared snacks. Some slept while others took pictures through the windows.

But as we got closer to Lumi Mountain, the road changed.

The smooth road disappeared.

The vehicle began climbing.

Higher.

And higher.

The road became narrow and steep.

I looked out of the window and saw the mountain rising beside us.

"Wow," Adeife whispered.

I turned toward her.

She was staring through the glass with wide eyes.

"It's beautiful."

"It is," I admitted.

But there was something else.

The higher we climbed, the quieter everything became.

Eventually, even our conversations became less frequent.

Then the vehicle stopped suddenly.

Everyone jerked forward.

"What happened?" someone asked.

The driver pointed ahead.

Large rocks had fallen across the road.

A few of them were so big that the vehicle couldn't pass.

We all had to get down.

"Perfect," Charles muttered. "Mountain adventure."

We started clearing the road.

As I bent to move a smaller stone, I noticed footprints in the mud.

I stopped.

Bare footprints.

They led away from the road and disappeared into the trees.

I looked around.

Nobody seemed to notice.

"Aliyah!"

Lateefah called me.

I quickly stood.

"Coming."

I glanced at the footprints again.

Something about them bothered me.

They looked fresh.

Very fresh.

But I convinced myself that someone must have walked there recently.

After almost thirty minutes, we cleared enough of the road for the vehicle to continue.

Eventually, Mosun pointed ahead.

"That's my father's house."

Everyone looked.

The building appeared through the mist.

It was much larger than I expected.

It stood alone on the mountainside, surrounded by trees and enormous rocks. It had several floors, balconies and a number of separate apartments connected by long corridors.

When we finally arrived, everyone was exhausted.

I dropped my bag as soon as I entered.

"I am not moving again."

Adeife laughed.

"You'll move when you're hungry."

"I'll die hungry."

Lateefah dropped beside me.

"Same."

For the next hour, we simply rested.

The house was old but beautiful.

There were wooden floors, large windows and long corridors. Some rooms looked recently renovated, while others looked as though nobody had entered them in years.

I noticed several doors without numbers.

One particular door at the far end of the corridor caught my attention.

It looked different from the others.

Older.

Darker.

I was staring at it when Mosun walked past.

"What's there?"

She glanced at the door.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Just an unused apartment."

"Can we enter?"

She shook her head.

"I don't have the key."

I shrugged.

That should have been the end of it.

Later, Mosun and some of the coordinators decided to go down the mountain through the main entrance to buy a few things we needed.

"We'll be back soon," she said.

Lateefah waved.

"Bring snacks."

Mosun laughed.

"No promises."

Then she and the others left.

The main door closed.

Silence settled over the house.

I looked around.

For the first time since arriving, I noticed how isolated we were.

There were no nearby houses.

No passing vehicles.

No voices from outside.

Only the sound of the wind moving through the trees.

Adeife nudged me.

"Why do you suddenly look scared?"

"I'm not scared."

"You're staring at the door."

"I'm thinking."

Lateefah laughed.

"Leave her. She'll start creating horror stories."

I smiled.

Then something caught my eye.

Beside the main entrance was a wooden wall.

There were faded words carved into it.

I stepped closer.

Lateefah followed.

"What does it say?"

I brushed away some dust.

The words became clearer.

THE MOUNTAIN REMEMBERS EVERYONE.

We stared at it.

Adeife came closer.

"That's creepy."

I laughed nervously.

"It's probably some old saying."

Lateefah nodded.

"Definitely."

I looked toward the mist outside.

For some reason, I couldn't shake the feeling that the inscription wasn't meant to frighten visitors.

It was meant to warn them.

And somewhere deep inside Lumi Mountain, something was already waiting for us.

We just didn't know it yet.

The first thing I noticed after we settled into the house was the silence.

It wasn't ordinary silence.

At home, silence meant there was nothing happening. In Lumi Mountain, the silence felt like something was listening.

I tried not to think about it.

We had been on the road for hours, and everyone was exhausted. Bags were scattered across the sitting room, shoes were left near the entrance, and people had already begun claiming rooms.

"Aliyah, come and see this room!" Lateefah shouted from upstairs.

I climbed the stairs and found her standing inside a large bedroom with Adeife.

The room had two beds, a wardrobe and a wide window overlooking the mountain.

Adeife was already opening the curtains.

"Look at this view!"

I walked toward the window.

Mist covered most of the mountain. Far below, I could see the narrow road we had used to climb up. It looked much smaller from there.

"Imagine waking up here every day," Adeife said.

"Imagine having to climb that road every day," I replied.

Lateefah laughed.

"You're always looking for the negative side."

"I prefer survival."

She threw a pillow at me.

I caught it.

For the next few minutes, the three of us joked about the trip and took pictures.

It felt normal.

That was what made everything that happened afterward so disturbing.

By evening, the coordinators gathered everyone in the sitting room.

We were reminded why we were there. The following morning, we were supposed to begin our fieldwork. We would document the environment, speak with residents and gather information for our final-year project.

Mosun sat near the front.

"My father said we should be careful around the mountain," she told us.

Charles immediately raised his hand.

"Define careful."

Mosun frowned.

"I'm serious."

Charles lowered his hand.

"So am I."

Everyone laughed.

Mosun didn't.

"My father doesn't like people wandering around alone. Especially after sunset."

"Why?" Sarah asked.

Mosun hesitated.

"He just said the mountain can be dangerous."

I looked toward the windows.

Outside, the mist had become thicker.

"What kind of danger?" Emmanuel asked.

"Rocks. Wild animals. Getting lost."

Her answer sounded reasonable.

But the way she said it wasn't.

Before I could ask anything else, one of the coordinators interrupted.

"We'll discuss the details tomorrow. Tonight, everyone should rest."

People gradually began leaving the sitting room.

Mosun and some of the coordinators then started preparing to go back down the mountain through the main entrance.

"We need to get a few things from the town," Mosun explained.

"Now?" I asked.

She nodded.

"It won't take long."

I glanced toward the windows.

The sky was already getting dark.

"Are you sure?"

She smiled.

"Aliyah, I've been here before."

I wasn't convinced.

Lateefah came beside me.

"Let her go. She knows the place."

Mosun pointed at her.

"Exactly."

Then she looked at me.

"Take care of Adeife."

Adeife frowned.

"Why me?"

"Because you're the one most likely to get everyone into trouble."

"Excuse me?"

We laughed.

Mosun and the coordinators left.

I watched the main door close behind them.

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Charles stretched himself across one of the couches.

"I'm hungry."

"You've been eating since morning," Patience said.

"That's because I'm alive."

"Unfortunately," Emmanuel added.

Charles threw a pillow at him.

The house came alive with laughter again.

I went into the kitchen with Adeife.

"We need to start cooking," I said.

She looked at me.

"You mean you need to start cooking."

"You're helping."

"I don't remember agreeing."

"You don't have to remember."

Lateefah joined us.

The kitchen was larger than I expected. There were several cupboards, an old refrigerator and shelves filled with cooking supplies.

Some of the food had been brought by us, while the rest had apparently been left there by Mosun's father.

I began arranging the ingredients.

Then I noticed the sachets.

There were several packets of different food products on the counter.

I picked one up.

"Is this ours?"

Adeife looked over.

"Probably."

I examined the package.

The brand name was unfamiliar.

"Have you seen this before?"

She came closer.

"No."

I turned it around.

Then something caught my attention.

The letters on the package appeared to move.

I blinked.

The brand name was different.

I froze.

"Adeife."

"What?"

"Look."

She took the sachet from me.

Her expression changed.

"What is that?"

"I don't know."

She turned it around.

The name changed again.

We stared at each other.

"Did you do that?" she asked.

"How?"

"I don't know!"

Lateefah rushed over.

"What happened?"

I handed her the sachet.

She looked at it.

"What am I supposed to see?"

"The name."

She frowned.

"It's just a brand."

"No. Look at it again."

Lateefah stared.

Nothing happened.

I took it back.

The name changed.

My stomach tightened.

Adeife noticed.

"Aliyah."

"I saw it."

"Again?"

I nodded.

Lateefah took another sachet from the counter.

She looked at it.

Then she placed it down.

"Nothing."

She picked it up again.

The name was different.

Her smile disappeared.

Nobody spoke.

Then a noise came from the corridor.

Tap.

We turned.

Nothing.

Another sound.

Tap.

This time it sounded closer.

Adeife lowered her voice.

"Did someone come back?"

I shook my head.

"No."

The three of us stepped out of the kitchen.

The corridor was empty.

But at the far end, the door of the unused apartment stood exactly as we'd left it.

Closed.

Locked.

I looked at it.

Then I heard something from behind the door.

A faint sound.

Someone whispering.

I couldn't make out the words.

Lateefah grabbed my arm.

"Let's go."

We hurried back into the kitchen.

For several minutes, none of us mentioned what we'd heard.

Then the lights went off.

Adeife screamed.

"Calm down!" I shouted.

"It's dark!"

"I know!"

Someone in the sitting room shouted for a flashlight.

We found one and turned it on.

The electricity returned after a few seconds.

Everyone laughed nervously.

"Mountain problems," Emmanuel said.

I wanted to laugh too.

Then I looked at the clock on the wall.

It was 3:17.

I frowned.

That was strange.

It was nowhere near that time.

I checked my phone.

7:42 p.m.

I looked at the wall clock again.

3:17.

I walked closer.

The second hand was moving.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

But the hour and minute hands remained frozen.

I called the others.

They gathered around it.

"Maybe it's faulty," Amos said.

He reached for it.

The moment his fingers touched the clock, it stopped ticking.

Then, from upstairs, we heard footsteps.

Everyone went silent.

One step.

Then another.

Slow.

Deliberate.

Someone was walking across the upper floor.

Lateefah squeezed my hand.

The footsteps stopped.

Then came three knocks from somewhere above us.

Knock.

Knock.

Knock.

Nobody moved.

The clock began ticking again.

And its hands remained fixed at 3:17.

I looked at Lateefah.

She was staring toward the staircase.

"Aliyah," she whispered.

"What?"

"Tell me we're not the only ones in this house."

Before I could answer, something moved upstairs.

And this time, we heard a door slowly open.

Nobody moved.

The sound of the door opening upstairs seemed to have frozen the entire house.

I stood beside Lateefah, staring at the staircase.

Adeife was on my other side, her fingers tightly wrapped around my arm.

"Maybe someone is upstairs," Emmanuel said.

I looked at him.

"Who?"

He didn't answer.

Everyone was supposed to be downstairs.

Mosun and the coordinators had left through the main entrance, and the rest of us had been sitting together.

The footsteps had definitely come from upstairs.

Then we heard another sound.

A slow creak.

Like someone walking across the wooden floor.

Charles tried to laugh.

"Maybe the house has a caretaker."

"No," Mosun had told us earlier.

I remembered her words clearly.

Her father rarely had anyone staying there.

"Maybe an animal got inside," Wonder suggested.

"An animal opened a door?" Sarah asked.

Nobody laughed.

We stood there listening.

Another footstep.

Then another.

The sound moved toward the staircase.

I felt Lateefah's fingers tighten around mine.

"Aliyah," she whispered.

"I'm here."

"What if someone is actually upstairs?"

"We'll check."

Her eyes widened.

"You want to check?"

I swallowed.

"No."

Adeife almost laughed despite herself.

"At least you're honest."

The footsteps stopped.

For several seconds, there was complete silence.

Then we heard a door slam.

BANG!

Patience screamed.

"Okay! I'm done!"

She grabbed her bag.

"I'm going outside."

"Outside where?" Emmanuel asked.

She pointed toward the front door.

"Anywhere that isn't here."

Charles stood.

"Nobody is going anywhere alone."

"Then come with me."

Before anyone could respond, the electricity went off again.

The house disappeared into darkness.

"Jesus!" Sarah shouted.

"Everybody stay where you are!" one of the coordinators had instructed us earlier, but they weren't there now.

I quickly turned on my phone flashlight.

Other phone lights appeared around the room.

The beam from my phone shook slightly because my hand was trembling.

"Where's the flashlight?" Amos asked.

"Here."

I handed him the larger one.

He turned it on.

The beam illuminated the staircase.

Nothing was there.

"See?" Charles said. "Nothing."

Then something appeared at the top of the stairs.

A shadow.

I stopped breathing.

It was shaped like a person.

Tall.

Still.

Watching us.

"Who is that?" Fatimah whispered.

Nobody answered.

Amos raised the flashlight.

The beam travelled up the stairs.

The shadow disappeared.

"Did you see that?" I asked.

"See what?" Charles said.

"The person."

"What person?"

I stared at him.

"You didn't see it?"

Everyone shook their heads.

Except Lateefah.

She looked terrified.

"I saw it."

Adeife nodded.

"Me too."

That was enough for me.

"Let's leave the house."

We rushed toward the entrance.

I grabbed the door handle.

It didn't move.

I pulled harder.

Nothing.

"It's stuck."

"Move!"

Emmanuel pushed beside me.

Together, we pulled.

The door wouldn't open.

Patience began panicking.

"Why isn't it opening?"

"Maybe it's locked," Amos said.

"Nobody locked it!"

I looked through the glass panel beside the door.

The mountain outside was covered in darkness.

But something was wrong.

The road we had used earlier was gone.

Not hidden by darkness.

Gone.

Where there had been a clear path leading down the mountain, there was now only a wall of thick mist.

I stepped backward.

"Guys."

They gathered around.

I pointed.

Nobody spoke.

Then we heard something outside.

A faint sound.

Like someone humming.

The humming grew louder.

Closer.

A figure slowly emerged from the mist.

A woman.

She was standing on the other side of the glass.

Everyone screamed.

I jumped backward.

The woman didn't move.

She wore a long, pale dress.

Her hair covered most of her face.

She simply stood there.

Looking at us.

Then she raised her hand.

And pointed toward the staircase.

I felt cold all over.

"Don't open the door," Lateefah whispered.

Nobody intended to.

The woman lowered her hand.

Then she disappeared into the mist.

"Where did she go?" Sarah asked.

Nobody knew.

The lights suddenly came back.

Everyone gasped.

The front door clicked.

It unlocked itself.

The room became silent.

Emmanuel slowly reached for the handle.

"Don't," I said.

He stopped.

"Aliyah, we can't stay inside forever."

I looked at the dark mountain outside.

"Maybe we shouldn't go outside either."

Before we could decide, my phone rang.

I nearly dropped it.

The screen showed an unfamiliar number.

I answered.

"Hello?"

There was silence.

"Hello?"

Then a woman's voice whispered:

"Why are you still inside?"

My heart stopped.

"Who is this?"

"Aliyah."

I froze.

She knew my name.

"Who are you?"

The voice didn't answer.

Instead, it said:

"Don't let them open the apartment."

The call ended.

I stared at my phone.

Lateefah noticed my expression.

"Who was that?"

I slowly lowered the phone.

"I don't know."

"What did she say?"

I looked toward the staircase.

Then toward the locked apartment upstairs.

"She told us not to open the apartment."

Adeife's face changed.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

A loud bang came from upstairs.

Everyone jumped.

This time, the sound came from the locked apartment.

BANG!

Then another.

BANG!

Someone—or something—was hitting the door from inside.

We all stared at the ceiling.

"What is happening?" Fatimah whispered.

Then we heard a voice.

A man's voice.

"Help me."

I knew that voice.

Everyone did.

We looked at one another.

The voice came again.

"Please... help me."

It sounded exactly like Emmanuel.

Emmanuel went pale.

"But I'm here."

Nobody spoke.

The voice behind the locked door called again.

"Aliyah..."

My heart began pounding.

It was my voice.

My own voice was coming from behind the door.

"Aliyah, please open the door."

Lateefah pulled me backward.

"Don't."

The knocking stopped.

Silence returned.

Then the voice changed.

This time, it was Lateefah's voice.

"Aliyah, don't trust Adeife."

Lateefah immediately stepped away from me.

"What?"

Adeife stared at her.

"Why would I say that?"

"I didn't say anything!"

The voice behind the door laughed.

It wasn't any of ours anymore.

It was deep.

Distorted.

Almost human.

Then it whispered:

"We know all of you."

The lights went off again.

And somewhere upstairs, the locked apartment door began to open.