Anna arrived first, her dark eyes sharp and observant. "Okay, Sylvester, tell me everything."
Sylvester sighed, rubbing his temples.
"It started a few days after we moved here. Sarah talks to herself, stares into corners, and... there's something in her voice. It's not her."
Marie, arriving with her ever-present notebook, flipped to a page filled with symbols and notes.
"This sounds like a possession. Or maybe... a curse."
Andy walked in, arms crossed.
"A curse? Come on, Marie. It's probably psychological trauma."
Mario, quiet as always, studied Sylvester.
"What does your gut say?"
Sylvester hesitated. "I want to believe it's trauma, but... my gut says something darker is happening. My parents made a deal with... something. And it wants Sarah."
A chill settled over the room. The truth was worse than any of them imagined.
When Leo burst in, his face pale with fear, the tension snapped.
"Sarah's in the basement," he panted. "She's talking to someone."
Sylvester's stomach twisted. "We don't have a basement."
Without hesitation, Anna grabbed a flashlight. "We're going to figure this out."
Together, they pushed aside the old bookcase, revealing a narrow door. The hinges creaked as it opened, a cold draft rushing out. The staircase spiraled into blackness.
"Stay close," Mario whispered.
They descended, each step taking them deeper into an eerie chill. The flashlight beam wavered, illuminating the damp stone walls. At the bottom, Sarah stood with her back to them, her small frame unnaturally still.
Her voice echoed through the darkness, low and distorted.
"You can't protect me, Sylvester. They already own me."
She turned, her eyes glimmering with an unnatural light. The shadows at her feet rippled and stretched toward them like oily tentacles.
Marie gasped, clutching her notebook.
"The shadows—they're alive."
Andy stepped forward, shielding everyone. "We need to get her out of here."
"No!" Mario's voice was sharp. "If we take her now, the spirit could follow. We need to sever its connection first."
Sylvester's chest tightened. "Our parents' deal... it didn't end when we moved."
Anna's jaw clenched. "Then we end it ourselves."
Upstairs, Sarah sat in the living room, staring blankly at the wall. Her presence was unnerving, like a porcelain doll with cracks just under the surface.
The group huddled in the kitchen.
Marie flipped through her notebook.
"If this is a spirit bound by a deal, there has to be a way to break it. Most spirits need something to anchor them—a token, a place, or a ritual."
Andy leaned over the table. "So what do we need to do? Destroy the anchor?"
"Maybe," Marie replied. "But first, we have to identify it."
Sylvester thought back to his parents' strange behavior before his mother's death.
"There was a box my mother kept hidden. I don't know what was in it, but she was terrified of anyone finding it."
"That could be the anchor," Anna said. "Where's the box now?"
"In the attic," Sylvester replied. "I didn't want to open it. It felt... wrong."
Mario nodded. "We need to face it. All of us."
The attic smelled of dust and forgotten memories. Boxes were piled high, but one stood out: a small, blackened chest bound in iron. The air around it pulsed with a sickening energy.
Sylvester hesitated, his hand trembling as he touched the cold metal.
Anna's voice was firm. "We're here. You're not alone."
With a deep breath, Sylvester opened the box. Inside lay a bundle of old, brittle parchment covered in strange symbols. A faint whisper slithered through the air, caressing their ears.
*The debt is not paid!!!
Marie's eyes widened. "This is a binding contract. Your parents offered Sarah in exchange for something. Health, power, protection—whatever it was, they didn't pay the price."
Andy clenched his fists. "So how do we break it?"
Marie studied the parchment. "We need to destroy this contract in a purification ritual. But it won't be easy—the spirit won't let go without a fight."
That night, they gathered in the living room. Candles flickered, casting long shadows on the walls. Sarah sat in the center, her expression vacant. The contract lay before her.
Marie traced a circle of salt around them. "Once we start, no one leaves the circle."
Sylvester took Sarah's hand. "We're going to save you."
As Marie began chanting, the temperature plummeted. The shadows thickened, twisting into grotesque shapes. A guttural voice hissed from the darkness.
"She is mine."
Sarah's body convulsed. Her eyes rolled back, and her mouth twisted into a snarl. Andy and Mario held her steady as she thrashed.
Marie's voice grew louder, her chant unwavering. "By the light of purity, by the strength of unity, we sever this bond!"
The shadows lunged, but they hit the salt barrier, sizzling like acid. Sylvester held on, his heart pounding.
"Stay with me, Sarah!" he cried.
A piercing scream erupted from her throat. The shadows recoiled, writhing in agony.
With one final chant, Marie thrust the parchment into the candle flame. The contract ignited, burning with an unnatural blue light. The spirit's scream reverberated through the room before fading into silence.
Sarah's body went limp. The shadows dissolved. The room filled with a heavy stillness.
Sylvester cradled his sister, tears streaming down his face. "Sarah?"
Her eyes fluttered open. "Sylvester... is it over?"
He nodded, his friends surrounding them. "It's over. We're safe. For now"
To be continue.....