Night – Into the Darkness
Kael's muscles tensed as he listened to the soft creaking of the floorboards above. His pulse thudded in his ears, drowning out the eerie silence of the house.
Who's up there? His thoughts scrambled, but his feet moved forward anyway.
The staircase stretched upward like a shadow, its wooden steps groaning under his weight. The air grew colder as he ascended, the faint scent of mildew and decay thickening with each step. He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.
The creaking stopped the moment Kael reached the top, and the silence felt almost suffocating. He stood still, listening, waiting for any sign of movement. But all he could hear was his own heartbeat, echoing like a drum in the stillness.
Step.
A single footstep echoed from a room to his left. Then another.
Kael's heart skipped. Someone—or something—was moving in the dark. The footsteps were slow, calculated, as though the figure was aware of his presence but wasn't in a hurry.
Kael's fingers twitched, longing for a weapon that wasn't there. He steadied his breath, squaring his shoulders. I'm not running.
He turned left, his boots whispering against the floor as he moved cautiously toward the source of the sound. The narrow hallway stretched before him, lined with closed doors—each one cloaked in shadows.
The air here was heavier, colder. There was something oppressive about it, like the walls themselves were closing in. His gaze drifted from one door to another, each one more ominous than the last. But the footsteps were louder now, just beyond the last door at the end of the hall.
Kael reached for the handle of the final door. It was cold to the touch, almost too cold. As his fingers wrapped around it, a sudden chill ran down his spine. Something inside urged him to turn back.
But he couldn't.
The door creaked open, its hinges groaning in protest. The room beyond was dark, too dark, and smelled of dust and decay. The only light came from the moon outside, casting long, jagged shadows across the room.
He stepped inside, the door swinging shut behind him with an unsettling thud. The air inside was thick with the scent of old wood, and his eyes struggled to adjust to the dim light.
Suddenly, a soft gasp echoed through the room.
Kael froze. The sound was faint, but it was enough to make his heart race. It came from the far corner of the room, where a large wardrobe stood against the wall.
Someone is in here.
His fingers twitched again, but he had nothing to defend himself with. He forced his legs to move, slowly crossing the room, his breath shallow. He could hear the rustling of fabric—someone moving.
When he reached the wardrobe, he reached out, his hand trembling. He pushed the doors open.
There was nothing.
No one.
He stepped back, confusion clouding his mind. The footsteps, the whisper, the cold sensation—it didn't make sense.
But as Kael turned to leave, he saw something that made his blood run cold.
On the floor, beneath the wardrobe, was a single footprint.
It was small, almost childlike, but the toes were pressed deep into the dust, as if someone had been standing there for a long time, waiting.
Kael felt a sudden sense of dread wash over him. The voice had come from here. The footsteps had led him here. And now, something was waiting.
He didn't have time to think.
He turned and ran, his boots pounding on the wooden floor as he rushed back to the stairs. The footsteps followed. Closer.
Closer.
Downstairs – The Shadow in the Hallway
Kael reached the bottom of the stairs, his breath ragged. His hand shot out for the door, but the air felt thicker here, almost like it was resisting him.
No. Not now.
He slammed his shoulder into the door, and it opened with a loud crack.
Kael stumbled into the main room, his eyes darting toward the table where the book still sat, its pages flicking in the breeze that hadn't been there a moment ago.
As he rushed toward the door, his gaze caught something—a shadow in the corner of his eye.
It was there—just beyond the edge of the doorway.
Kael froze.
The shadow shifted, and for a moment, he could have sworn he saw the outline of a figure.
But then, it was gone.
He didn't look back as he pushed the door open. He wasn't staying another second.
To Be Continued…