storybook

  The footsteps stopped. Silence swallowed the abandoned science laboratory.  Nobody moved. Not even breathing sounded safe. Then suddenly BANG! The laboratory door slammed shut behind the six students. Maya screamed. Nethul nearly fell backward over a broken chair. “OPEN IT!” Ishara shouted, pulling at the rusty handle. But the door would not move. The giant iron clock ticked louder now. 11:51 PM. Tick. Tick. Tick. And somewhere deep below the floor… the bell rang again. At the opposite side of the school campus, a single light glowed inside the teachers’ quarters. Peter Dissanayake sat alone at his desk grading history papers while rain tapped against the roof. Peter was unlike the other teachers at Riverton National School . He was young, quiet, and unusually observant. Most students respected him. Some feared him. Because Peter always seemed to know more than he said. As lightning flashed outside, Peter paused his marking pen. He heard it. CLAN...

Chapter One: The Bell That Rang at Midnight Rain hammered against the windows of Riverton National School as the final bell echoed through the old hallways. Most students rushed home before the storm became worse.But not everyone left. Inside Classroom 9-B, six students sat around a dusty wooden desk while thunder growled outside like a giant beast.“Tell me again why we’re staying after school?”  asked Nethul, tightening his hoodie.  “Because this place looks haunted.” “It is haunted,” whispered Maya dramatically.  Sahan rolled his eyes. “There are no ghosts in school.” “You say that now,” replied Ishara. “But even the teachers avoid the old science building.” At the back of the classroom, Ravindu carefully unfolded an ancient-looking map across the table. Everyone leaned closer. The map had strange symbols drawn in red ink. At the center was a circle marked: “UNDERGROUND ARCHIVE.” Below it were three words: Only the worthy enter. “This,” Ravindu said quietly, “was hidde...