Takumi ascended the creaky staircase to the second floor. As he reached the top of the stairs, he felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.
He heard the sound again, the same guttural moan he had heard earlier. It was closer this time, coming from one of the rooms down the hall. Takumi cautiously approached the room and peered inside.
The room was empty, save for an old rocking chair in the corner. But Takumi noticed that the floorboards in front of the chair were slightly raised, as if something was hiding underneath. He approached the chair and lifted it up, revealing a trapdoor beneath.
Without hesitation, Takumi opened the trapdoor and peered into the darkness below. But he saw nothing, just an empty cellar with dirt floors. He dismissed the sound as nothing more than the house settling and decided to leave.