Mark returned home after his business trip and found Lisa waiting for him at the door. She ran towards him with a smile on her face and hugged him tightly while greeting him.
"Hello love, welcome home!" said Lisa enthusiastically as she hugged him. "I missed you so much."
"Hello darling, I missed you too!" replied Mark, hugging her back tightly. "How has everything been around here?"
"Well, I had plenty of time to clean and organize the house while you were away. I wanted to surprise you with everything tidy when you returned," said Lisa with a smile.
Mark was pleasantly surprised to hear that. He knew how hard Lisa had worked on renovating the house before, and now she had even done the cleaning herself. He couldn't wait to see what she had done. Together, they entered the house, and Mark could see that Lisa had worked hard. Everything was clean, tidy, and well organized.
"This is amazing. You've done a wonderful job," said Mark as he walked through the house in awe.
"Of course it is, after all, I did it," joked Lisa with a mischievous smile on her face.
"You've surprised me once again, you're amazing," said Mark, gently kissing Lisa's forehead.
As they had dinner, Lisa told Mark everything that had happened while he was away. She talked about how she had cleaned every corner of the house and how she had discovered some new things they had not seen before, like the study.
"Oh, the study!" exclaimed Mark with a smile. "I've checked it out a couple of times, it's one of my favorite rooms in the house. I love sitting in that armchair and reading a good book."
"Yes, I loved it too. I cleaned and organized it. It's a very peaceful and relaxing place," said Lisa. "Although..."
"Something happened?" responded Mark with concern upon hearing Lisa hesitate.
"Not really, it's just that..." said Lisa, looking downcast and a little worried. "It's a silly concern."
Upon hearing that, Mark simply hugged her and said affectionately, "No concern is silly, just tell me, I'm all ears."
Lisa hesitated for a moment and finally told him, "Okay, but don't laugh."
So, Lisa told him everything that had happened a few days ago, how she had found the mysterious letter from the previous owner, the ugly nightmare she had while reading the book, and how the letter was no longer there later on.
Listening to Lisa's story made Mark feel a little worried. It wouldn't be the first time something semi-paranormal happened in the house, like the footprint on the last day of renovation. But Mark decided to put it aside for now and leave those worries for another day.
"Don't worry, my love. You were probably just tired from cleaning, which caused you to fall asleep," Mark said in a calming tone. "As for the nightmare, that can easily be explained by the book you were reading. After all, you've always been bad with those kinds of stories."
Lisa simply nodded as she heard that and hugged Mark. "Putting that aside, why don't we take advantage and watch a movie together?" Mark was delighted with the idea and quickly agreed.
Mark and Lisa relaxed on the couch while watching the movie together. It was a quiet and enjoyable moment for both, and Mark felt grateful to have Lisa by his side.
"You've really done a great job in the house, Lisa. I appreciate everything you've done," Mark said as he hugged Lisa. "This is exactly what we've always wanted."
"I know, and I'm glad we're doing this together. Our house is now our home," Lisa said as she snuggled into his lap.
Shortly after, Mark was sound asleep when suddenly he began to have a nightmare. In it, he was in the house, but everything seemed to be dark and in ruins. As he walked down the hallway, he heard distant and chilling screams that seemed to be echoing throughout the house.
Suddenly, a dark figure appeared in front of him. It was an older man with a sad and somber look on his face. Mark tried to speak to him, but the man didn't respond, just staring at him with empty eyes.
Suddenly, several more figures appeared behind the man. It was a complete family: a woman, a man, and two young children. They all had the same empty and sad look in their eyes. Mark felt terrified and confused, who were these people and what were they doing in his house?
The family began to slowly move towards him, their bodies seeming to disintegrate as they approached. Mark tried to run, but his legs felt like they were made of lead, he couldn't move.
Suddenly, the family pounced on him, grabbing him from all sides. Mark screamed and struggled to break free, but it was useless. The family began to drag him down, towards some kind of dark abyss that seemed to be on the ground.
Mark screamed in terror as he fell into the abyss, feeling like he was falling endlessly. When he finally reached the bottom, he found himself in a kind of dark, damp cave.
There, he saw the family again, but this time they were surrounded by a group of larger, shadowy people. They seemed to be performing some kind of strange ritual. Mark tried to scream, but he couldn't make any sound.
Suddenly, the leader of the group turned to him and said with a deep and chilling voice, "You've come too far, Mark. It's time for you to join us."
Mark woke up suddenly, sweating and trembling with fear. He sat on the couch, trying to control his breathing as he realized that it had all been just a nightmare. But even after waking up, he couldn't shake off the feeling of terror that engulfed him. He looked around but couldn't find Lisa. Worry took over him, and he quickly got up from the couch.
He started walking around the house, calling Lisa's name, but there was no response. The hallways were dark, and the shadows seemed to move as if they were alive. Mark's heart was beating heavily in his chest as he walked through the house, becoming more and more anxious.
Finally, he reached the study where Lisa had found the letter. He heard a strange sound coming from inside, as if someone was tearing paper. Mark carefully opened the door and entered the darkness of the study. There, he saw Lisa standing in front of one of the walls, scratching the paint with her nails.
"Lisa! What are you doing?" Mark asked, concerned. But Lisa didn't respond; she continued to scratch the paint with frenzy. Mark approached her, but then she turned around to look at him. Her face was disfigured, and her eyes seemed to glow with a strange light. Mark backed away, feeling a deep fear in his chest.
Mark tried to move away from Lisa, but his feet seemed to be stuck to the floor, trapped by an invisible force. The torn paint revealed a dark image underneath, which seemed to pulse and move. Lisa turned to face Mark, and her face transformed into something monstrous and grotesque. Her skin seemed to slide and move, as if something was trying to escape from underneath it. A smell of decay filled the room, and the sound of Lisa's evil laughter filled his ears. Mark tried to scream, but his throat was closed, as if something was suffocating him. Finally, Lisa opened her mouth and spoke with a guttural and dark voice: "I got you, Mark. Now you're mine." Mark felt as if his soul was being ripped from his body as Lisa dragged him into darkness.
Suddenly, Mark woke up on the couch. He was sweating, and his heart was racing. He put his hand on his face to wipe off the sweat, but something was wrong. His face was wet and cold, as if someone had been touching him while he slept. He looked around and saw Lisa standing in front of him, with a smile on her face.