As they ventured down the hallway, every creak and groan of the floorboards seemed to echo, amplifying the silence that cloaked them. The dim light cast by the dusty chandeliers above did little to ease the suffocating darkness, their shadows elongated and distorted, trailing along the walls like specters.
Gray led the way, the key clutched tightly in his hand, the chill from the metal seeming to seep into his skin. He tried to steady his breathing, but his heart thudded loud enough for him to wonder if the others could hear it too. Behind him, Maria's steps were hesitant, her fingers brushing the walls as if to anchor herself in the tangible, something to ground her against the unnatural aura permeating the inn.
