Elena's body tensed as she stood at the threshold of the open doorway. Her flashlight beam trembled as she aimed it into the room. Dust floated in the air, the silence pressing down on her like a weight.
The room was empty.
Just an old bedroom. A bed with rotting sheets. A broken dresser. A window covered in grime.
But she knew what she saw. The shadow had moved in here.
Her ears strained, listening for anything.
Nothing.
Maybe it had been a trick of the light. Maybe—
Creak.
A floorboard shifted behind her.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Slowly, too afraid to turn, she angled the flashlight over her shoulder. The beam swept across the dark hallway.
Empty.
She exhaled shakily, trying to slow her racing heart.
Then she heard it.
Footsteps.
Not loud. Not rushed. Just… soft. Careful.
Coming toward her.
But there was nothing there.
Her legs refused to move, terror rooting her in place. The footsteps stopped just inches away. The air around her turned ice cold.
Then—
A whisper, right against her ear.
"Elena…"
Her flashlight died.
Darkness swallowed her.