Echoes of the dark

esse off her feet. It wasn't the sound of a door slamming or a footstep-i

Jesse with a chilling calmness. "You should've left when you had the chance,

re. The shadows in the room seemed to grow longer, stretching toward her, c

a strange, unnatural silence. The only sound was the quickened bea

that never came. His entire body was stiff, as though frozen in place by

is mine now," she said softly, her fin

hing forward and grabbing her brother's arm. "Sa

re distant, unfocused, staring past

an almost tangible force. The house groaned like it was alive, the walls bending

art of the house, came the u

y was dragging itself across the floor below. The sound sent shivers down Je

sse whispered, her v

into a cruel grin. "Tha

room was empty-except for the woman, Sam, and herself. The door she had come through was go

d from below

to Sam. She shook him violently, pulling

h he wasn't even there. His body

to get him

pe, twisting and writhing like something was fighting to break free from it. Her mind

closer, louder. The air was thick with a na

ng was

dn't wai

d to be there. As she moved, she could feel the weight of something behind her, like the shadows them

r fingers slipping against the smooth, cold

ation flooding her voice. "

re in the co

. She didn't walk-she slid, her body moving unnaturally, as though she

orner of the room, a sha

ows themselves. It rose up slowly, a tall, hunched shape-its body barely recogniza

k away, even though every ins

ble length. Its face-or what was left of it-was a grotesque mockery of humanity. Its eyes were hollow, black pits that seemed to swirl with dark,

its fingers curl

unce of strength she had. She could feel him-his bo

deep and growling, like the rumble of a t

distant echo in Jesse's mind. "You cannot

couldn't wait for Sam to come back-she need

om, searching for any escape.

f light shining through the gr

Jesse yanked Sam toward it, his

atever it was-wa

gasped, the coldness of its grip burning through her flesh. The sha

s gleaming with wicked satisfaction

ooked at Sam one last time, and for the first time, she saw so

still there. S

she screamed, yanking her foot

" she

g crash shook the house once again, l