Elena couldn't sleep that night. She lay on the dusty, creaking mattress of the room Blake had assigned her, staring at the cracked ceiling as faint whispers echoed from the hallway. The manor seemed alive, its very structure humming with some dark energy that made her skin crawl. But the whispers didn't come from ghosts—they came from something older, deeper. A presence that thrummed beneath the surface of the house, waiting to be discovered.
Her thoughts kept drifting back to Blake's mention of "experts." People who operated outside the normal boundaries of science and law. She had heard rumors of them before—professionals who delved into the paranormal for a price, dark web communities that exchanged forbidden knowledge, all operating in the shadows. Perhaps, if anyone knew what truly lay beneath Ashwood Manor, it was them.
Unable to shake her restlessness, Elena sat up and reached for her phone. The glow from the screen illuminated the dark room, casting long shadows on the walls. She hesitated for a moment before opening her encrypted browser—one she rarely used, but knew was necessary for this line of work. After a few moments of searching, she found what she was looking for: a private, invite-only forum dedicated to supernatural phenomena and unsolved mysteries.
The site's name was simple—The Midnight Order—but Elena knew its reputation. It was the kind of place where dark secrets were traded in exchange for favors, where occult practitioners and paranormal experts gathered to discuss the unexplainable. She had joined it years ago, under an alias, but had rarely participated. Now, though, she needed answers.
She typed out a brief post, her fingers moving quickly over the screen.
Subject: Help Needed – Ashwood Manor
I've come across something big. Ashwood Manor—long rumored to be haunted, but there's more to it than ghosts. I believe there are extraterrestrial or interdimensional forces at play. I need any information, tools, or contacts that could help investigate this. Anyone with experience in cursed locations or alien artifacts, reach out.
—GreyFox
She hit 'send' and waited, knowing that it might take hours, or even days, for someone to respond. But she didn't have to wait long. Within minutes, a reply appeared from a user she had seen on the forum before—Watcher—a notorious figure in the paranormal community. Watcher was known for accessing obscure information, a master of tracking down forbidden knowledge and dangerous artifacts.
Watcher:
Ashwood Manor, you say? Interesting. I've been following the stories surrounding that place for years. There's something ancient and dangerous there, but not much has been confirmed. I have contacts that could help, but it won't be easy—or cheap.
Elena smirked, her pulse quickening. She typed her response.
GreyFox:
Name your price. I'm not looking for favors, I'm looking for results.
Watcher:
Good. You'll need a team. There are a few people I know who've dealt with things like this before. One of them is a paranormal expert—Dr. Elara Van Holt. She's worked with cursed locations before and has experience dealing with non-human entities. She won't be easy to convince, but if anyone can figure out what's in Ashwood, it's her. I'll send you her contact information. You'll also need some tech. There's a hacker who goes by 'Ghost'—he specializes in breaking through encrypted files and hacking old government databases. He can find records on Ashwood Manor that were never made public. I'll connect you to him as well.
Elena's heart raced. This was exactly what she needed. If she could get Elara and Ghost on board, they might be able to crack open the manor's dark secrets. But Watcher wasn't done yet.
Watcher:
One more thing. Be careful. If Ashwood really is connected to extraterrestrial forces, you're stepping into dangerous territory. There are things out there we're not meant to understand. If the Ashwoods were in contact with something… alien… you'll need to be prepared for anything.
GreyFox:
I'm prepared. Send me their details.
Within moments, Watcher sent the encrypted contact info for both Dr. Elara Van Holt and Ghost. Elena saved the details and closed her phone, her heart pounding in her chest. She had always worked alone, but this time was different. This time, she needed help.
The faint sound of footsteps echoed from outside her room, pulling her attention away from the screen. She quickly shut off her phone and listened. The steps were slow and deliberate, as if someone was pacing the hallway just beyond her door. She held her breath, straining to hear more.
Then, without warning, the handle of her door rattled.
Elena jumped, her hand instinctively reaching for the flashlight she had placed on the nightstand. The door creaked open slightly, but no one entered. Her pulse quickened as she stood up, inching closer to the door. She hesitated for a moment, then yanked it open.
The hallway was empty.
Only the dim glow of the moonlight filtered through the narrow windows at the far end of the corridor. The rest of the house was silent, save for the faint creaking of the old wooden floors beneath her feet. She stepped into the hallway, her eyes scanning the shadows for any movement.
Nothing.
But she knew someone—or something—had been there. The manor was full of secrets, and it wasn't going to let her leave without showing its darker side. She closed the door and leaned against it, her mind racing with possibilities.
Who had been at the door? Was it Blake? Or something far worse?
The following morning, the group gathered once more in the grand parlor. The atmosphere was tense, the weight of the previous night's unease still lingering in the air. Blake was already seated by the fireplace, his sharp eyes scanning the room as the others entered one by one.
"I trust you all had an interesting night," he said, a hint of amusement in his voice.
James gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, if by interesting, you mean I couldn't sleep because of the footsteps I kept hearing."
Marion sat down, her expression unreadable. "The mind can play tricks in places like this," she said, though her voice lacked the usual conviction. "But I can't deny… there's something strange about this house."
Blake nodded, clearly pleased. "Strange, indeed. But that's why we're here, isn't it? To uncover what lies beneath the surface."
Elena kept quiet, her mind still preoccupied with the information she had received from Watcher. She had sent messages to both Elara and Ghost earlier that morning, and now all she could do was wait for their replies. She knew time was of the essence—the longer they stayed in Ashwood Manor, the more dangerous it became.
Blake stood and pulled a crumpled map from his coat pocket, spreading it out on the table. "Today, we'll begin our exploration of the manor's lower levels. There are parts of this house that haven't been touched in centuries. If there's anything of value—artifacts, records, or otherwise—it'll be down there."
Hugo grunted, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "And what exactly are we expecting to find? More ghosts?"
Blake smiled. "Perhaps. But I suspect there's more to this house than just restless spirits."
He pointed to a small, almost hidden section of the map. "There's an old cellar beneath the house, sealed off after the last of the Ashwoods disappeared. No one has been down there since. If the chest is anywhere, it'll be there."
The group exchanged uneasy glances. The idea of descending into the depths of the manor, where who knows what awaited them, didn't sit well with any of them. But they had come too far to turn back now.
"We'll go in pairs," Blake continued, folding the map. "It's safer that way."
Elena nodded, though her mind was elsewhere. She had to stay focused. If Elara and Ghost came through, they could gain an edge in understanding whatever alien force lurked within the manor. But for now, all she could do was play along with Blake's plan—and hope they didn't stumble onto something they couldn't handle.
As the group made their way toward the cellar entrance, Elena's phone buzzed in her pocket. She slipped it out discreetly and glanced at the screen.
It was a message from Ghost.
Ghost:
I've accessed old government files on Ashwood. You're not going to believe what I found.
Her pulse quickened. She would have to wait until they were out of sight to read the full message, but one thing was clear: the secrets of Ashwood Manor were far deeper—and more dangerous—than any of them had imagined.