(Daniel's POV)
The house was dead silent, but the whisper still lingered in the air, like a breathless echo trapped in the walls.
I gripped my flashlight tighter, the weak beam barely cutting through the thick shadows. My heart was pounding so loudly that I was sure everyone else could hear it.
"Tell me you guys heard that," Trevor muttered, shifting his stance like he was ready to bolt if necessary.
"We all heard it," Ella whispered back, her eyes darting toward the staircase. "It came from upstairs."
Alex took a step back toward the door. "Okay, I know we said we'd come back, but did anyone think about what happens after we find whatever the hell this thing is?"
Nobody answered.
I took a shaky breath. "We're not running." I glanced at each of them, making sure they understood. "Not this time."
Trevor exhaled, shaking his head. "Man, I really hate when you get all main character like this."
Ella rolled her eyes, but I caught the way her fingers twitched nervously. Alex just sighed and nodded, stepping closer.
We moved toward the stairs, each step groaning beneath our weight. With every inch we climbed, the air seemed to thicken. It was colder up here—so cold I could see my breath.
At the end of the hallway, my old bedroom door was slightly ajar. The way it hung there, frozen in time, sent a shiver down my spine. I hadn't set foot in that room in years.
A flickering shadow passed behind the gap.
My breath caught.
Something—or someone—was inside.
The floorboards creaked as I reached for the door. My fingers trembled, hovering over the handle. I could feel everyone behind me, their tension pressing against my back.
"Daniel..." Ella whispered.
Too late. I pushed the door open.
The flashlight flickered, struggling against the darkness. The room was just as I remembered it—dusty, abandoned, frozen in the past. My old desk, my unmade bed, the worn-out posters peeling off the walls.
And then... the closet door creaked open on its own.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
The darkness inside was wrong. It wasn't just a shadow—it was moving, writhing like something alive.
Then came the whisper.
"Daniel."
I stumbled back, nearly dropping the flashlight. My friends gasped, eyes wide with horror.
"Nope. Nope. Nope. I'm done." Alex turned, heading for the door, but it slammed shut on its own, rattling the walls.
We all froze.
The whisper came again, stronger this time.
"Daniel... why did you come back?"
I felt sick. My head throbbed. The whisper wasn't just in the room—it was inside my skull.
"Who—who are you?" I forced the words out.
The shadows inside the closet twisted, curling along the walls like ink spreading through water.
"You know me."
I shook my head. "No, I don't."
A faint, distorted chuckle.
"Yes, you do."
And then... the closet door exploded open, and something came lunging out.
I didn't scream. I couldn't. The darkness engulfed me, swallowing my breath, my voice—everything.
The last thing I heard before the world faded to black was my friends calling my name.