the Iron Gate screeched open a rusty lament that scraped against my nerves like fingernails on a chalkboard mrss Blackwood a wisp of a Woman dwarfed by The imposing oak doors ushered me into the house Shadows clung to the corners of the cavernous foyer obscuring the grand staircase that climbed into the Gloom above the air hung heavy with dust Moes dancing in a single shaft of moonlight that speared through a grimy High window Timmy's a good sleeper Mrs Blackwood chirped her voice thin and strai
ned like Melody sun off key just put him down at 8: and he'll be out until morning 8:00 felt a lifetime away in this mosum of a house the blackwoods lived in a sprawling Victorian Mansion on the outskirts of town a place that seemed to swallow the very light of day Timmy a cherub faced 8-year-old with eyes too big for his face clutched his teddy bear Tighter and offered me a watery smile I forced a chipper tone ruffling his hair don't worry Timmy we'll have a fun night movie marathon and popcorn
for dinner sound good he nodded enthusiastically then scurried up the grand staircase with all the Boundless Energy of a child exploring a forbidden Castle Mrs Blackwood apologized profusely for the state of a house been meaning to clean for ages she muttered a nervous Tremor evident in her voice before bustling out with Promises of a hefty paycheck that felt a little too generous considering the circumstances as the oak door shut with a resounding thud the silence pressed down suffocating the
only sounds were the creaking floorboards groaning under my weight and the distant Rumble of Thunder that seemed to Echo not just outside but within the very walls of the house the hallway leading to Timmy's room was a Labyrinth of Shadows a single bulb flickered precariously at the far end casting shapes that danced on the peeling wallpaper cobwebs thick and Dusty brushed my face like skeletal fingers as I navigated the Gloom the air grew colder with each step a damp chill that seemed to seep f
rom the floorboards themselves Timmy's room was a nursery stre out of a Forgotten Fairy Tale albe it a twisted one cobweb laid in Rocking horses a Dusty dollhouse looned in the corner its miniature furniture ask you like the remnants of a child's tantrum Frozen in Time despite the oppressive atmosphere I knelt beside Timmy's bed his gentle snores a beacon of normaly in the unsettling Stillness I pulled out a book from my bag its Cherry cover a stark contrast to the rooms Gloom as I began to read
my voice sounded Hollow even to my own ears Timmy stirred slightly at the sound his eyes fluttering open for a moment he blinked blly then a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth thank you Miss Sarah he mumbled drifting back to sleep relief washed over me momentarily pushing back the creeping dread I continued reading the words blurring on the page as my gaze kept strain to the shadowed corners of the room then it started a soft tapping sound rhythmic and deliberate it seemed to come from the
far wall behind a heavy Oak wardrobe that loomed like a silent sent my heart hammered against my ribs a frantic drum solo in the sudden Stillness the tapping persisted growing louder with each insistent WAP tap tap my breath hitched in my throat and I gripped the book tighter its thin Pages offering little Comfort my hand hovered over the phone in my pocket calling misses Blackwood now would mean an early exit a lost job the need for the money wored with the rising panic in my chest taking a de
ep shaky breath that did little to calm my thundering heart I grabbed a heavy brass candlestick from the dresser it felt reassuringly solid in my hand a poor excuse for a weapon but better than nothing with each creaking step towards the hallway door the tapping seemed to grow louder more insistent my mouth was dry my throat constricted reaching the doorknob I hesitated what if there was something on the other side something unseen something malevolent my hand trembled as I grasped the knob the
cold metal searing into my palm slowly with excruciating slowness I turned the knob the rusty hinges groaned in protest the sound scraping harshly on my already frayed nerves I peed through the crack the flickering hallway light offering scin illumination the hallway stretched before me shrouded in darkness the single bulb at the far end had inexplicably burned out plunging the corridor into an Inky Blackness the tapping had definitely come from this direction but from where a sudden gust of win
d seemingly coming from nowhere slammed a door shut at the far end of the hallway Panic surged through me hot and suffocating taking a deep breath I gripped the Candlestick Tighter and stepped into the hallway pushing the door shut behind me with a thug that seemed to echo through the entire house the hallway was a suffocating tunnel of Darkness the air hung heavy thick with the scent of dust and something else a metallic Tang like old blood pricked my nostrils the wind howled outside a mournful
durge that seemed to seep through the cracks in the boarded up Windows Terror W with a desperate need for answers the tapping had stopped but a new prickling sensation crawled up my spine the feeling of being watched I inched forward the Candlestick held out in front of me its meter flame casting a wavering circle of light that danced on the peeling wallpaper with each step the floorboards groaned in protest the sound magnified in the oppressive silence the hallway seemed to stretch endlessly t
he darkness swallowing the meter light cast by the Candlestick just when I was about to turn back defeated a faint outline emerged from the Shadows at the far end of the hallway it was a doorway barely a sliver visible against the encroaching Darkness this wasn't there before had the wind blown a door open my breath hitched the tapping it had come from there reaching the doorway I hesitated the darkness within seemed to press against me a tangible Force resisting my Approach but then a flicker o
f movement in the inky Blackness a dark shape shifted solidifying for a split second before dissolving back into the Shadows my hand went numb the Candlestick CLA ping to the floor with a deafening clang the darkness pulsed a living thing and I stumbled back tripping over my own feet Terror propelled me forward I didn't dare look back the memory of that fleeting silhouette burned into my mind I just ran heart pounding a frantic Rhythm against my ribs lungs burning with each desperate gasp for ai
r the sound of my own ragged breaths filled my ears drowning out the creaking floorboards and the distant Rumble of Thunder I didn't stop until I burst through the heavy oak door of the nursery slamming at shut behind me with a resounding crash panting I fumbled for the light switch flooding the room with harsh fluorescent light the rocking horses in the dusty dollhouse seemed almost comical in the sudden brightness a stark contrast to the chilling Darkness I had just left but the relief was sho
rtlived Timmy stirred in his bed his eyes fluttering open Miss Sarah he mumbled his voice thick with sleep what's wrong there was no way I was staying here another minute every Creek of the house every gust of wind out side sent shivers down my spine I had to get Timmy and myself out of here now get dressed Timmy I said my voice surprisingly steady already Gathering my things something came up we have to leave as we hurried down the stairs I cast a nervous glance at the end of the hallway the da
rkness seemed deeper there heavier outside the storm raged the wind lashing the trees in a Friendzy but it felt almost welcoming compared to the suffocating Darkness within the house Timmy snuggled closer to me in the car is warmth a comforting presence driving away I couldn't help but steal a glance back at the house it stood there a hulking silhouette against the stormy sky a flicker of light seemed to move in one of the upstairs Windows gone as quickly as it appeared I slamed my foot on the a
ccelerator pushing the image out of my mind there would be time to deal with the horrors I had witnessed later right now all I cared about was getting Timmy and myself as far away from that house as possible
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