“Ethan, this place looks like it could swallow us whole.” The Leighton mansion loomed before us, its sharp gables piercing the twilight sky.
I tightened my grip on the handle of my suitcase, the weight of the old family name pressing harder than the baggage in my hand.
“Vicky, are you sure about this? The inheritance—”
“Is all we have,” I cut him off, forcing a smile. “We’ll make it work.” The truth was, I didn’t know if I believed myself. The mansion, though grand, had the aura of a forgotten tomb.
“Let’s just get inside,” Ethan muttered, hauling the trunk up the stone steps. The wood creaked as the heavy double doors swung open, releasing a stale breath of air.
The entryway stretched out like a cavern, adorned with chandeliers dulled by decades of dust. I ran my hand over the banister, its wood smooth yet cold, and wondered how many lives this house had seen—and taken.
“This is…big,” Ethan said, his voice echoing in the emptiness.
“Too big,” I replied softly, my gaze catching a cracked portrait on the wall. A man with stern eyes and a handlebar mustache glared down at me, the nameplate beneath him reading Frederick Leighton, 1889.
The air carried a strange stillness, thick and unmoving. I busied myself unpacking, trying to ignore the gnawing unease that crept up my spine. The house was ours now—or so the will had said—but it didn’t feel like home.
“Ethan, did you hear that?” A faint creak, distant but deliberate, broke the silence. It wasn’t the kind of sound houses made when they settled. This one had intent.
“Probably just the wind,” Ethan dismissed, but his voice lacked conviction.
I shook my head. “No, it came from upstairs.”
“Vicky, it’s late. Let’s deal with this tomorrow.”
Ignoring him, I grabbed my phone and headed toward the staircase, each step groaning under my weight. My heart pounded louder with every creak, the dim light from my phone barely illuminating the way.
The attic door stood ajar, as if inviting me in. My breath hitched as I pushed it open, revealing a cluttered space filled with forgotten relics. Dust particles danced in the beam of my phone’s light, settling on a photograph lying face-up on a trunk.
It was a family portrait—grandparents, parents, children—all posed stiffly in their Sunday best. But what drew my attention wasn’t their forced smiles; it was the red ink slashed across several faces.
“Ethan, come up here!” I called, my voice trembling. No response. I swallowed hard and turned back to the photo. A name scrawled beneath it in a child’s shaky handwriting caught my eye: Elizabeth.
A chill raced down my spine as footsteps echoed behind me. “Ethan?” I whispered, spinning around. The attic was empty.
“You won’t survive,” a voice hissed, low and guttural.
I gasped, my phone’s beam landing on the wall. Written in what looked like blood, the words glistened, fresh and menacing: “You won’t survive.”
My knees buckled, and I stumbled back, knocking over the trunk. Its lid fell open, revealing a pile of bones tangled with rotting fabric. A child’s shoe sat on top, small and pristine, as if waiting for someone to claim it.
“Vicky, what the hell—” Ethan’s voice broke through, but it was too late.
The attic door slammed shut, locking me in with the shadows.
Something moved behind me.
