The morning light that streamed through the cracked windows of Ashwood Manor did little to lift the oppressive gloom that had settled over the group. Elena stood at the edge of the cellar, her mind racing with the possibilities of what lay beneath the stone seal. The alien part of her, the part she had always tried to ignore, felt strangely alive now, humming with energy. It was as though the manor was speaking to her, drawing her closer to its dark heart.
Her phone buzzed, breaking the silence. It was a message from Ghost.
**Ghost:**
*The equipment I mentioned is on its way with Elara. Be careful. There's a lot we don't know about what's under that place. But if the readings are right, you're dealing with something ancient—and powerful.*
She quickly typed a response.
**Elena:**
*I'm keeping an eye on things here. Thanks for the heads-up. We'll wait for Elara before we go any further.*
As she pocketed her phone, Blake appeared at her side, his eyes narrowed with suspicion. "What's the latest?" he asked, his voice low.
Elena turned to face him. "Help is coming. I have a team on the way—people who've dealt with things like this before. They'll have the equipment we need to make sure we're not walking into a death trap."
Blake grunted, his gaze drifting to the stone slab in the cellar. "I don't like waiting around. Every second we waste, that thing down there could be getting stronger."
"I understand," Elena said, trying to keep her tone calm. "But we don't know what we're dealing with. You said it yourself—this isn't just some old ghost story."
Blake's jaw tightened. "Fine. But if your experts don't get here soon, we're moving forward with or without them."
Elena nodded, knowing full well that Blake's impatience could be their undoing. They were walking a fine line, and one wrong move could awaken something far worse than any of them were prepared for.
---
By midday, the tension had only grown thicker. Hugo, James, and Marion were gathered in the manor's dusty parlor, their nerves on edge. Blake paced back and forth near the window, constantly glancing out at the long, winding road that led to the manor's entrance.
"Where are these people, Elena?" Marion asked, her voice tinged with frustration. "I'm not sure how much longer I can stay in this place. It feels like the walls are closing in."
"They'll be here soon," Elena reassured her. "I've worked with Elara before—she knows what she's doing. Trust me, we don't want to open that seal without her."
James, who had been mostly quiet since the night before, finally spoke up. "You think… you think it's really something alien, don't you? Something from… out there?" He pointed upward, as if the answer lay in the sky.
Elena hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "I think there's a strong possibility that what's beneath the manor isn't entirely human. The Ashwoods were into some strange, unexplainable things. They were experimenting with forces beyond our understanding."
Hugo, leaning against the wall, chuckled darkly. "If it's aliens, then I'm going to need a lot more than a flashlight and some salt to deal with them."
Elena allowed herself a small smile. "That's why we're waiting. We're going to need more than superstition to get through this."
Just then, a faint sound broke the uneasy quiet. The unmistakable hum of an approaching vehicle. Blake's head snapped toward the window. "Finally."
Moments later, a sleek black SUV pulled up the long driveway, its tires crunching over the gravel. Two figures emerged—one a tall, dark-haired woman with a steely expression, the other a shorter man with a rugged look and a heavy duffel bag slung over his shoulder.
Elara Van Holt had arrived.
---
Elena greeted Elara at the manor's entrance, a sense of relief washing over her. Elara's presence had a grounding effect, as though just by being there, she brought some semblance of control to the chaos.
"Elara, it's good to see you," Elena said, offering a handshake. Elara gripped it firmly.
"Elena," she said in her smooth, no-nonsense voice. "You weren't kidding about this place. I could feel the energy the moment we got close. It's… alive."
The man beside her nodded. "I'm Axel," he introduced himself, shifting the weight of the duffel bag on his shoulder. "Paranormal technician, if you want to get fancy. We've got all the gear we'll need to analyze what's going on down there."
Blake appeared at Elena's side, his eyes scanning Elara and Axel skeptically. "You're the experts, huh?"
Elara smirked. "You sound disappointed."
"Just want to make sure we're not wasting time," Blake said gruffly. "There's something under this house, and we're not leaving until we figure out what it is."
Elara's expression didn't change. "Trust me, we're not here to waste time. We're here to keep you alive."
She turned to Axel. "Set up in the cellar. I want to run some preliminary readings before we do anything else."
Axel nodded and headed for the stairs, leaving the rest of the group to follow him down to the cellar.
---
In the dim light of the cellar, Axel unpacked a series of strange devices—small monitors with blinking lights, handheld sensors, and what appeared to be a large, complex machine with wires snaking out in all directions.
"What is all this?" Marion asked, her voice trembling slightly.
"EMF detectors, spectral analyzers, and a few other toys," Axel said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "We're going to find out exactly what kind of energy this place is putting off."
Blake watched him with folded arms, still skeptical. "And that's going to help us how?"
"It'll tell us if we're dealing with a natural phenomenon, a paranormal one, or… something else," Axel said cryptically, his fingers flying across the controls of the machine.
Elara stood beside the stone slab, her brow furrowed as she studied the symbols. "These carvings… they're not from any culture I recognize. Definitely not occult or religious. This is something older. Something that predates any known civilization."
Elena stepped closer, her pulse quickening. "Alien?"
Elara's gaze flicked to her. "That's one possibility. I've seen similar markings in sites connected to extraterrestrial activity. But there's something else… something more primal about this."
Axel glanced up from his readings. "Elara, you're going to want to see this."
The group gathered around Axel's monitor, where a series of jagged lines danced across the screen. "These readings… they're not natural. We're picking up electromagnetic interference, but it's unlike anything I've ever seen. It's almost like it's… sentient."
"What do you mean 'sentient'?" James asked, his voice tight with fear.
Axel adjusted the settings, the lines on the screen shifting as he spoke. "The energy is fluctuating in response to our movements. It's aware of us. Whatever is under this slab… it knows we're here."
A heavy silence fell over the group.
Blake took a step forward, his eyes fixed on the stone slab. "Then we're not waiting anymore. If that thing knows we're here, it's time to confront it."
"Blake, wait—" Elena began, but he was already moving, his hands reaching for the edges of the slab.
"Blake, stop!" Elara shouted, but it was too late.
With a grunt of effort, Blake shoved the stone slab aside, revealing a deep, dark pit beneath it. A foul stench rose from the hole, and a thick, unnatural mist began to seep out, swirling around their feet.
The group recoiled in horror as the mist thickened, coiling around Blake like a living thing. He gasped, his hands clawing at the air as the mist enveloped him.
"Blake!" Marion screamed, rushing forward, but Elena grabbed her arm, pulling her back.
"No! Don't touch him!"
Blake's body convulsed as the mist tightened around him, his eyes rolling back in his head. His mouth opened in a silent scream as the mist surged into his mouth, nose, and ears, disappearing inside him.
Then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over. The mist dissipated, and Blake collapsed to the ground, motionless.
The group stood frozen, too shocked to move.
Elena's heart pounded in her chest as she stared at Blake's still form, dread settling in the pit of her stomach.
Blake's eyes snapped open, glowing with an eerie, unnatural light. He slowly rose to his feet, his movements stiff and jerky, as though he were a puppet being controlled by invisible strings.
A low, guttural voice rumbled from his throat, a voice that wasn't his own.
"The seal has been broken," the voice growled. "The Awakening has begun."
Elena took a step back, her mind racing. They had unleashed something far worse than they had ever imagined.
And now, there was no turning back.