The voice from the grave

ck-still in front of the door. Her ears tingled with th

drew her in more than she could understand. Her surroundings were swirling like living things, their dark tendrils reaching for the door as if anxious to drag her in. Her fingers fluttered

d, trying to understand the situation, but it felt as if the room itself was closing in on her, ever

was behind it? She shot behind at the woman in the middle of the room, her eyes black and hard to read. Rachel was the solution, the woman had remarked. That sh

e only stood there, her look inscrutable as she observed Rachel. Her face almost seemed too tranquil, too steady, given the gravity of the

. And when it does, you will understand that this is

meant by

now there was no going back. None at all. Rachel's hands shook as she slowly grasped for the door handle. She felt the inimitable surge of energy flow over her, her fingers tightening around the frigid steel. As though the space was alive, it seemed to pulse in response to the actual contact of her hand with the door. Though Rachel could feel the woman's gaze on her, an unseen force pushing her, she didn't utter a word. There was suffocation in the quiet. Rachel gave the handle a deep turn. As it o

what lay buried there. Still, a small, scared part of her wanted to slam the door shut and run, to turn away from whatever nightmares this was. Still, that time had passe

an invisible hand. The atmosphere changed the instant she stepped outside. Her spine tingled as the te

ng the door open and w

nto the unfamiliar. The screams stopped abruptly and an uncanny quiet descended. Rachel stopped breathing in her realization she was no longer by herself. Dark and dense,

ith cutting features and piercing dark eyes. Though it was not well-known, his face was familiar. It

ou've finally gotten here." She gasped, her knee

head somewhat, his mouth turning into a grin. "You have known me far l

features were quite distinct, but she couldn't identify him. Had sh

e now clearly seen in the faint illumination, a

ed her mouth, she said no words. She had been looking for solutions, but this...., this was beyond her wildest dreams. His fingers long and wh

of nowhere, a sharp, grating sound sounded floated about. Her escape was cut short when the door slammed closed behind her. Her breath caught, and she swung around, but there was no escape. She was caught. The man's smi

rs. The enigmatic man trapped in the dark room with Rachel asserts he has been with her all along. Her sensation of reality