“What’s behind that door?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. I stood at the end of the hallway, staring at the only door that didn’t match the mansion’s perfection. It was locked—a heavy oak thing with an antique brass handle that seemed to absorb the dim light.
The housekeeper’s gaze darted toward me, her face unreadable.
“No one goes there.”
Her voice was clipped, sharper than before. I watched her smooth her hands down her apron, a nervous tic. The kind of nervousness people tried to hide when they lied.
My heart thudded. Sarah.
My mind threw me back—a flash of Sarah’s laughter ringing through the summer air, her golden hair tangled in the breeze, Elena’s hand on her shoulder. *“Trust us, Claire. We’re stronger together.”*
A hollow promise. And now Sarah is gone.
I forced a tight smile, gripping my fingers behind my back. My skin itches with questions, but I let the silence settle instead.
“Understood,” I said softly.
The housekeeper nodded curtly and walked off, her heels clicking against the marble, a rhythm that reminded me of a clock ticking down.
I lingered, staring at the locked door. It felt wrong. *What were they hiding?*
My boots made no sound as I approached. I trailed my fingertips along the door’s edge, its frame chilled to the touch, as though the air inside was colder. A whisper of instinct curled in my gut.
I crouched, my cheek nearly pressed against the keyhole. Darkness stared back. Still, I heard it—the faint hum of something beyond the wood. A vibration. A breath.
“Claire, what are you doing?”
I flinched. My head snapped toward the voice. Elena stood at the end of the hall, her silhouette bathed in a soft gold glow from the chandelier behind her. Her long gown clung to her figure like a second skin, elegant and deliberate.
Her lips curved into a smile. Too sharp. Too knowing.
“Exploring,” I replied, schooling my voice into something even. “Isn’t that what you hired me for?”
Her laugh was light, tinkling like glass shards hitting a floor. She stepped closer, her eyes never leaving mine.
“Of course,” she said smoothly, “just not there.”
Her tone turned to stone at the last word. She tilted her head, examining me, the way a cat studies a mouse.
I swallowed hard, pretending her stare didn’t cut through my skin.
“Got it,” I said lightly, standing upright. “Boundaries.”
Elena’s smile widened, but the chill behind her eyes stayed. She turned, disappearing down the hall like smoke. The moment she was gone, the air shifted, thickening. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.
My fingers brushed the door one last time before I walked away.
That night, the house pressed in around me. The silence wasn’t comforting. It clawed at me, wrapping around my throat. The nursery window rattled in its frame, and every creak of the floorboards sounded like whispers.
I sat up in bed, the thin blanket tangled around my legs. The boy slept soundly in his room next door. Outside, the wind howled, though no trees stirred.
And then I heard it.
Footsteps.
Slow, deliberate. Right outside my door.
“Hello?”
My voice came out hoarse, barely louder than a breath. The footsteps stopped.
I strained to hear, every nerve in my body strung tight.
Silence.
I rose to my feet, grabbing the small lamp from the bedside table. Its base was solid metal, heavy enough to serve as a weapon.
My hand shook as I reached for the door handle. The knob was icy beneath my palm. I turned it slowly, inch by inch, until it clicked.
I yanked the door open. The hallway stretched before me, cloaked in shadow.
Empty.
But the air felt wrong. Thick. Electric. My skin prickled, and I knew I wasn’t alone.
“Who’s there?”
No answer. Only the faint vibration of something unseen, thrumming just below the surface. I looked toward the locked door.
My pulse stuttered. The handle was moving.
