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The car’s tires crunched on the gravel driveway as the Carter family pulled up to their new home. Emily stared out the window, taking in the sight of the old Victorian house that loomed ahead. Its dark, weathered exterior seemed out of place against the backdrop of the vibrant autumn trees. The house, with its tall, narrow windows and steeply pitched roof, had an air of foreboding that made Emily shiver despite the warm afternoon sun.
“Home sweet home,” David Carter said, turning off the engine. He didn’t sound convinced.
Emily’s mother, Rebecca, looked up from her phone, where she had been typing furiously. “It has potential,” she said, more to herself than to anyone else.
Jacob, Emily’s younger brother, was already out of the car, his eyes scanning the house with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. “This place is huge,” he said. “And creepy.”
Emily reluctantly unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the car. The air was cool, with a faint smell of damp earth and decaying leaves. The house’s windows stared down at her like dark, unblinking eyes, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being watched.
“Let’s get our things inside,” Rebecca said, trying to inject some cheer into her voice. “I’m sure it’ll feel more like home once we’re settled in.”
The inside of the house was even darker than Emily had expected. The foyer was spacious, with a grand staircase leading to the upper floors, but the walls were lined with dark wood paneling, and the only light came from a single, dusty chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The air was thick with the smell of old wood and something else—something sour and rotten that Emily couldn’t quite place.
“This place gives me the creeps,” Jacob muttered, echoing Emily’s thoughts.
“It’s just old,” David said, though he didn’t sound entirely convinced. “Once we get some fresh paint on the walls and open up the windows, it’ll be fine.”
As they began to unpack, Emily couldn’t shake the feeling that they weren’t alone. She kept glancing over her shoulder, half expecting to see someone—or something—standing in the shadows. But every time she turned, there was nothing there.
By the time they had finished unpacking the essentials, the sun had set, and the house was bathed in the dim, flickering light of the few lamps they had brought with them. Emily’s parents retreated to their room, eager for some rest after the long day. Jacob was already absorbed in his laptop, his face illuminated by the screen’s pale glow.
Emily wandered through the house, her footsteps echoing eerily in the empty rooms. She found herself drawn to the second floor, where the hallway stretched out in front of her, dark and silent. As she walked, the floorboards creaked under her weight, the sound unsettlingly loud in the stillness.
A sudden noise made her stop in her tracks. It was a faint rustling sound, like the whisper of fabric brushing against the walls. Emily’s heart skipped a beat as she peered into the shadows, but she could see nothing. The sound came again, closer this time, and she realized with a jolt that it was coming from one of the rooms at the end of the hallway.
Holding her breath, Emily took a step forward, then another. The door to the room was slightly ajar, and as she approached, she could see a sliver of light spilling out into the hallway. She hesitated, every instinct telling her to turn back, but something compelled her to push the door open.
