The Abducted Home - By Laila Raza

Written By: Laila Raza

Category: Short horror story

Competition: Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026

In the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026, Laila Raza offers readers a spine-chilling experience with her short horror story, "The Abducted Home." As part of the Short Story category, Raza paints a haunting scene of unexpected terror in the everyday life of Calista. The story unfolds with eerie discoveries that twist the concept of home into an unsettling mystery.

About the Work

"The Abducted Home" delves into the unsettling theme of hidden horrors within familiar spaces. Laila Raza masterfully builds suspense with vivid imagery and a creeping sense of dread. The story's atmosphere is laden with mystery, as Calista confronts unsettling discoveries in her own home. Raza's narrative style keeps readers on edge, culminating in a shocking revelation that redefines the meaning of safety and trust.

The Abducted Home

Original Submission by Laila Raza

The Abducted Home

Calista stared at her bathroom floor as the plumber took out the last handful of blonde hair from her bathtub drain.

“I don’t understand.” She stepped towards the man, her hands starting to shake.

“This hair . . . It’s not mine.” Fear in her eyes, she bent down. There was a lot of hair. Calista picked up a strand of hair from the floor and held it to her hand. Calista’s hair was dark.

She had just gotten back from her vacation to Hawaii, and she had wanted to take a shower. But when she noticed that her bathtub was filling up, and there were hairs on the rim of the drain, she decided to call the plumber.

“I just came back from a two-month vacation. I live completely alone. And my friends and family haven’t been inside my house ever since I left.” She told the plumber.

He stood up and gave Calista a tired look.

“Ma’am, if I were you, I would call the police or something. 150.”

“What?”

The plumber sighed. “150 dollars ma’am.”

“Oh, sorry” she started to get out money for the man. But as she did, she noticed something else in the corner of her bathroom.

There was a small spot of dry blood. Just a little smaller than her hand.

When the plumber had left, Calista was all alone in her house. She had always been an independent woman, and she wasn’t really scared of anything. But after the events of today, she had an eerie feeling. She felt like there was something unusual in her house, like something was going on without her knowing.

She decided to call her little brother, Conner. She wasn’t going to worry him about what was going on, because it was probably not as bad as she thought it was. But he always made her feel better.

When Conner picked up on the fourth ring, the first thing Calista heard was music. He was always going to parties, drinking, dancing.

“Hey! Where are you?” She asked as she climbed down the stairs to sit on her velvet couch, which smelled like roses for some reason.

“Hi Cal, I’m just at my friend’s house. Are you back?”

“Yeah, I am. How’d you know? I just got back this morning.”

“Cool, cool. Listen Calista, I’m sort of busy. But I’ll call you later, ok?”

“Oh wait, Connor. Did you get my basement cleaned while I was away?”

Calista heard Conner suck in breath.

“No, sorry. The cleaners never showed up. But I’ll get it done soon, ok. But I don’t think you should go in there for now.” Conner sounded shaky. It must have been because he didn’t get the clean done, so she comforted him.

“No worries” She didn’t go into the basement much anyway, Conner knew that.

When Connor hung up, Calista heard a knock at her front door.

“Hi Calista! I’m so happy you’re back!” Andie stood at Calista’s front door, holding a box of chocolates.

“Andie! Hi- “

“Oh, I just missed you so much” Andie took her in her arms and squeezed the life out of her.

Calista liked Andie, she really did. But sometimes Andie was a little too . . . bubbly. Calista was more of a quiet person; she didn’t like to hang out with people all the time or go out partying. She preferred to stay at home and read. But that felt a little terrifying after that morning.

She invited Andie inside and they started to chat. When Andie was done explaining her friend’s disappearance, (She was always talking about some sort of drama) which Calista was too worried to care about, she remembered to ask her about something.

“Did you come into my house when I was gone?”

Andie thought for a second. “Well. . . no. I didn’t.” Calista didn’t believe that. She could never believe her.

“Did you see anything strange? Someone you’ve never seen before coming inside?”

“No, not at all.” Calista was becoming impatient. How would she ever figure out how blond hair had entered her bathroom? But then, Andie said something.

“Oh, actually” She remembered. “I did see someone. A few weeks ago, I saw a man going into your garage. I don’t remember what he looked like, but he really looked suspicious. He had dark hair.”

Ugh, Andie was useless. Either she was lying to create more drama, or,

“Oh. Don’t worry that was just my brother, Conner.”

“But he seemed. . . scary. Like he was doing something. . . evil”

As Andie was talking about her absurd theories, Calista couldn’t help but see that her carpet had a weird stain on it. It was sort of yellowish, like someone had thrown up on it. It hadn’t been there before she had left.

After a few minutes, Calista finally managed to get Andie out of the house. She needed a coffee after that exhausting conversation.

But as she was walking towards the kitchen, she thought about what Andie had said.

Conner had been going into Calista’s basement while she was gone, but didn’t he say that the cleaners never showed up? Why would he go?

She decided to check the basement. Maybe Conner had gotten her basement cleaned, and he just wanted to surprise her.

She made her way down the creaky stairs, but then she heard a sound coming from exactly where she was going.

It sounded a lot like help.

Calista was going crazy. There was nothing like that happening. It couldn’t be.

She convinced herself to face her fears, and she rushed towards her basement door and pulled it open.

When she stepped into that freezing room, she didn’t hear or see anything unusual at first. She smelled the scent of roses.

But when she walked farther inside, she noticed torn up couches, ropes, animal traps, Calista’s DJ speaker, and a huge, human sized cage.

The cage was open, and to the side of it was a woman.

The woman wore an expression consumed with anger and shock. Her clothes were stained with blood, sweat, and something else. Her blond hair was knotted, and it looked like half of it was pulled off. In her hands, she held a bloody knife.

And to her feet, was Calista’s brother, Conner.

And his body was lifeless.

About the Competition

The Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026 by Hashtag Kalakar is a celebrated event that brings together creative minds from around the world. Participants engage in a wide range of categories, showcasing their literary talents and unique voices. This competition fosters creativity, offering a platform for writers to share their imaginative works with a global audience.

We extend our gratitude to Laila Raza for her contribution to the Global Poetry and Creative Writing Competition 2026. Her story, "The Abducted Home," captivates with its chilling narrative and keeps readers hooked until the very end. We appreciate her participation and look forward to more of her creative endeavors in the future.

About Hashtag Kalakar

Hashtag Kalakar is a creative platform dedicated to providing artists, writers, singers and other creative talents with opportunities to showcase their work and reach wider audiences through competitions, features and creative initiatives.