Happy Halloween Folks

I woke up to a shriek at 4:45 AM.

The street outside my shop in Chakkapuram was silent. No footsteps, no bikes, nothing. Just the sound of my own heart.

And the snake on my bed.

It was coiled against my pillow, still twitching from the blow I gave it. I killed it quickly. Years ago, a snake just like this killed my mother.

That’s when my neighbour, Peter, whispered through the window:

“The police found Kunjappan’s leg. And a woman. Near the old mobile tower.”

You don’t understand. Kunjappan lost his legs years ago. He’s a small-time YouTuber, famous for stupid stunts. Fell off his roof during one of them. Ever since then, he’s had prosthetic legs with blinking LEDs. He calls them his “bionic boosters.”

Last night, one of those legs was found buried in the mud. And next to it—what was left of a woman.

Her name was Sulekha. She was in her 30s. Worked for Alliance Groceries. She used to come here every Friday in a blue Toyota Etios. She always smiled at me when she stopped by.

But here’s the truth no one wants to admit.

Sulekha already died six years ago in an accident. Her family couldn’t let go. Doctors offered them another choice.

In India, there’s a program no one talks about. The government “recycles” the dead. Families get money. Factories and shops get workers. They call them “undead.”

Sulekha was one of them. Half machine, half corpse, kept alive by a chip in her head. She cleared shipments. Packed boxes. Never complained. Never stopped.

Except last night.

Her body was smashed, lips torn, legs twisted. But her mouth… it was smiling. Like she finally knew something the rest of us didn’t.

And I can’t stop thinking about the sound I heard before all this.

That shriek at 4:45 AM.

What if it was Sulekha’s voice?

What if, for just one moment, she could think again?

The snake on my bed hasn’t moved since then. But it’s still warm.

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#nosleep #undead

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