(Daniel's POV)
I woke up with a weight in my chest I couldn't explain. The air in my room felt colder than usual, the kind of cold that seeps into your bones and doesn't let go. I sat up, glancing at the window. The pale morning light was just creeping in, but something felt off. It was too quiet.
I rubbed my eyes and tried to shake the feeling. Just a dream, I told myself. Nothing more. But the nagging unease wouldn't go away.
By the time I got downstairs, the house was empty. William's car was gone, and Mom had left a note saying she'd be at work late. That left me alone with my thoughts, and that was the last thing I needed.
I grabbed a bowl of cereal and sat at the table, scrolling aimlessly through my phone. My eyes kept darting toward the basement door, even though I tried to focus on the screen. I didn't know why, but it felt like the door was watching me.
It was stupid. I knew it was stupid. But I couldn't help it.
The creak of the floor upstairs made me jump, spilling milk onto the table. My heart pounded as I stared up at the ceiling, waiting.
Nothing.
I told myself it was just the house settling, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I wasn't alone.
---
School was no better. I kept thinking about William, about how strange he'd been acting. He barely talked to me anymore, and when he did, it was like he was holding something back. I wanted to confront him, to make him tell me what was going on, but I didn't know how to bring it up without sounding crazy.
"Yo, Dan!"
I turned to see Trevor jogging toward me, his backpack slung over one shoulder and a grin on his face. "You look like you've seen a ghost," he said, punching my shoulder lightly.
"Yeah, just tired," I muttered, forcing a smile.
"You've been tired a lot lately," he said, his tone more serious now. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. Just school stuff."
He gave me a look that said he didn't believe me, but he let it go.
Trevor was one of the few people I could actually talk to, but even with him, I couldn't bring myself to explain everything. How could I tell him about the whispers, the cold, the way William was slowly slipping away from me? It wasn't something you just casually brought up.
"Hey, you wanna come over after school?" Trevor asked as we walked toward class.
I hesitated. I wanted to, but something about the house—about the basement—was pulling me back. Like it was calling to me.
"Maybe tomorrow," I said.
Trevor shrugged. "Suit yourself. But seriously, man, if you need to talk, I'm here."
I nodded, grateful but still uneasy.
---
By the time I got home, the sun was starting to set, casting long shadows across the driveway. I stood outside for a moment, staring at the house. It felt bigger somehow, darker, like it was swallowing the light around it.
I shook off the thought and headed inside. The silence was immediate, pressing down on me like a weight.
I dropped my bag by the door and made my way to the kitchen, but I stopped short when I saw the basement door. It was open.
It hadn't been open when I left.
I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening as I stepped closer. "Will?" I called out, my voice barely above a whisper.
No answer.
I reached for the light switch, but my hand froze as I heard a faint noise from below. A rustling sound, like someone—or something—was moving down there.
I told myself to turn around, to walk away, but my feet didn't listen. I stepped onto the first stair, then another, the creaking wood echoing in the silence.
The air grew colder with each step, and by the time I reached the bottom, I could see my breath in front of me.
The basement was dark, the only light coming from the faint glow of the old lamp in the corner. I scanned the room, my eyes darting to every shadow, every corner.
And then I saw it.
In the far corner of the room, something moved. It was subtle, just a shift in the shadows, but I knew I wasn't imagining it. My chest tightened as I took a step back, my eyes never leaving the spot where I'd seen the movement.
"Hello?" My voice cracked, and I hated how small it sounded.
The shadows shifted again, and this time, I saw it clearly. A figure, tall and thin, standing just at the edge of the light. Its face was obscured, but I could feel its eyes on me, feel the weight of its gaze pressing down on me.
I stumbled back, nearly tripping over my own feet as the figure took a step forward.
"William," it said, the voice low and distorted, like it was coming from somewhere far away.
I froze. How did it know his name?
The figure took another step, and I bolted up the stairs, slamming the basement door behind me. My heart was racing, my hands shaking as I leaned against the door, trying to catch my breath.
It wasn't real. It couldn't be real.
But the cold, the voice, the way it had said William's name—I couldn't ignore it.
---
I locked myself in my room, my back against the door as I tried to calm down. I wanted to call Trevor, to tell him everything, but I couldn't bring myself to pick up the phone. What would I even say?
I glanced at my desk, at the books and papers scattered across it. My project on Cleopatra felt meaningless now, just a distraction from the bigger things looming over me.
I thought about William, about the way he'd been acting, and I felt a pang of guilt. He'd been trying to protect me, hadn't he? From this. From whatever was down there.
But it wasn't just his burden anymore.
I didn't know what was happening, or why it was happening to us, but I knew one thing for sure.
The shadows weren't staying in the basement.
They were spreading.
And sooner or later, they were going to consume us all.
---