The hallway stretched endlessly before them, the flickering beams of their flashlights barely penetrating the oppressive darkness. The air was thick and cold, and every creak of the floorboards beneath their feet sounded deafening.
"This doesn't feel right," Emma whispered, clutching Alex's arm.
"It hasn't felt right since we got here," Chris muttered, glancing nervously over his shoulder.
"Just keep moving," Jordan said, her voice steady despite the tension in her jaw. "We need to stay focused."
Taylor's flashlight flickered, the beam sputtering before plunging him into near-darkness. He smacked it against his palm, his nerves fraying with each failed attempt to fix it.
"Of course," he muttered, his voice tight with frustration. "Because nothing says 'let's explore a haunted house' like faulty equipment."
"Keep it down," Jordan snapped, her flashlight sweeping over a door to their left.
"Why?" Taylor shot back. "You think I'm gonna wake the ghosts?"
"Taylor," Alex said sharply, his eyes fixed on the door ahead. "Enough."
They stopped outside a door, its paint peeling in long strips. The wood was marred with deep scratches, as if something had clawed at it relentlessly.
"This is different," Alex said, running his fingers over the grooves.
"Different how?" Emma asked.
"Doesn't matter," Jordan said, reaching for the handle. "Let's see what's inside."
The door swung open with a loud creak, revealing a room they had already seen, the parlor.
"Déjà vu," Taylor muttered.
"This is the same room," Alex said, frowning. "We've already been here."
"That doesn't make sense," Emma said, shaking her head. "We just came from the hallway. How did we end up back here?"
"It's the house," Jordan said, her voice low. "It's messing with us."
Chris moved toward the piano, his flashlight casting erratic beams across the room. As he reached out to touch one of the keys, the lid slammed shut with a deafening bang.
"Jesus!" Chris yelped, stumbling back.
"Don't touch anything," Jordan snapped, her flashlight sweeping the room.
The mirror on the wall was intact, its surface gleaming unnaturally despite the lack of light.
Emma shivered. "Didn't… didn't the mirror have cracks in it before?"
"It did," Taylor said, his voice barely above a whisper.
As they stared at the mirror, a faint voice filled the room, soft and melodic.
"Stay," it whispered, the word lingering in the air like a chill.
Emma took a step back, her flashlight shaking in her hands. "Did… did that just say 'stay'?"
The room seemed to shift around them, the furniture rearranging itself with slow, deliberate movements. The piano bench scraped across the floor, its legs grinding against the wood. The mirror's surface rippled like water, and for a brief moment, Alex thought he saw his reflection smile at him.
"Do you see that?" he whispered, his voice trembling.
"We all see it," Jordan said, her flashlight fixed on the mirror.
"Stay forever," the voice said again, now overlapping itself in a haunting chorus.
The words seemed to seep into their minds, clawing at their thoughts and leaving behind a nauseating sense of dread.
"What does it mean?" Emma asked, her voice shaking.
"It means we need to get out of here," Chris said, pounding on the door that suddenly would not open. "Now!"
But the door wouldn't budge, no matter how hard he pushed or pulled.
The piano began to play by itself, a slow, haunting melody that filled the space with an unnatural resonance.
The shadows in the room seemed to stretch, twisting unnaturally toward the group.
"What the hell is going on?" Chris shouted, his voice rising in panic.
"It's trying to keep us here," Jordan said, her jaw tight.
The voice returned, now a cacophony of whispers.
"Stay forever. Stay forever. Stay forever."
Alex's chest tightened as he stared at the door. "We need to get out of here. Now."
As they turned, Emma stopped abruptly, her flashlight fixed on the floor.
"Look," she whispered, pointing at the thick layer of dust.
Scrawled into the dust were jagged letters, the message unmistakable:
"STAY FOREVER."
Emma backed away, her hands trembling. "Oh my God. This isn't real. This can't be real."
"It's real," Alex said, his voice grim.
Taylor forced a nervous laugh. "Maybe Anderson's behind this. You know, playing another one of his pranks."
Jordan turned to him, her eyes narrowing. "Anderson wouldn't do this. You saw how freaked out he was when he talked about the house."
"Yeah, but he's good at messing with people," Taylor argued. "This has his fingerprints all over it."
"Does it?" Emma snapped, her voice rising. "Because I don't think Anderson can make a piano play by itself or write messages in the dust."
"Enough!" Alex said, his voice cutting through the rising tension. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. "Arguing isn't going to help. Let's call for him. If he's here, he'll answer."
The flashlights began to flicker, their beams sputtering and dimming. In the dim light, shadows moved; shadows that didn't belong to anyone in the room.
"Do you see that?" Taylor whispered, his voice barely audible.
"Yes," Emma said, her eyes wide with fear. "What are they?"
The shadows moved closer, twisting and writhing like living things. One stretched toward Emma, its long, thin fingers reaching for her face.
"Get back!" Alex shouted, stepping in front of her. He swung his flashlight at the shadow, but it passed through the beam as though it wasn't there.
The voice grew louder, now a cacophony of whispers.
"Stay forever. Stay forever. Stay forever."
Jordan stepped forward, her jaw tight and her hands steady. "We're not staying," she said firmly. "Do you hear me? We're not staying!"
"Yes, we're not. We're leaving your creepy ass house and you can't stop us." Taylor echoed, imitating Jordan's pose.
The voices faltered for a moment as if surprised, their overlapping chorus breaking into disjointed whispers. The shadows hesitated, retreating slightly.
Alex's heart raced as he watched Jordan confront the unseen force. "What are you doing?" he whispered.
"Standing my ground," she said, her voice firm.
"I don't know man. Just following the lady." Taylor said with a shrug.
But before they could say anything else, the mirror shattered with an earsplitting crash, sending shards of glass flying across the room.
"Everyone down!" Alex shouted, pulling Emma to the floor.
The room shook violently, the floorboards groaning under the strain. The voices returned, louder and more furious than before.
"Stay forever! Stay forever!"
The shaking stopped as suddenly as it started, leaving the group in stunned silence.
"Is everyone okay?" Alex asked, his voice hoarse.
"I think so," Emma said, clutching his arm.
"Where's Taylor?" Chris asked, looking around frantically.
They turned, their flashlights scanning the room. Taylor was gone.
"He was right behind me," Jordan said, her voice rising. "Where did he go?"
The door to the hallway creaked open slowly, revealing nothing but darkness beyond.
"Taylor?" Alex called, his voice echoing.
There was no response.
"We need to find him," Jordan said, already moving toward the door.
The rest followed, Emma wide-eyed and obviously close to a total breakdown. Chris noticed and sidled up to her, touching her arm in a comforting way.
She looked at him gratefully with a small smile and seemed to gather herself before following Jordan and Alex out of the room.
"What the hell?" Chris exclaimed on seeing Alex the pair standing in confusion outside the door.
"Was there a staircase here before?" Emma asked, the panic creeping back into her voice.
"Let's not lose our minds yet. We need to find Taylor and we can get out of here." Jordan said with a firm voice.
"But where do we look?" Chris asked, looking around at shadows that didn't seem to be moving in a natural way.
"Pretty obvious. Up the staircase." Alex said, lighting the way with the beam of his flashlight.
The group nodded and as one, ascended the staircase.
They ascended cautiously, the stairs groaning under their weight.
Halfway up, the house shook violently, the walls groaning and the floor beneath them trembling.
"Earthquake? Or house again?" Chris shouted, gripping the bannister for balance.
"No," Alex said, his voice tight. "It's the house."
As the shaking subsided, the lights from their flashlights dimmed, plunging them into near-darkness.
"Stick together," Jordan said, her voice tense.
But before they could take another step, the hallway seemed to stretch and warp, the doors multiplying and twisting in impossible directions.
"What's happening?" Emma cried, clutching Alex's arm.
"I don't know," Alex said, his heart pounding.
The shadows surged forward, enveloping the group. When the darkness receded, Alex found himself alone.
"Jordan?" he called, his voice echoing. "Emma? Chris? Taylor?"
There was no response.