★ＨＡＵＮＴＥＤ ＭＡＮＳＩＯＮ★

★46

Jaxon bolted down the stairs, skipping the last two steps entirely and landing with a heavy thud. His chest heaved with each breath, adrenaline pumping through his veins. "TAYLA! AMBER!" he yelled, his voice cracking with panic. The two girls, sprawled on the couch and half-asleep, jolted upright at the sudden outburst. "What the hell, Jaxon?" Tayla asked, blinking groggily. Amber rubbed her eyes, looking equally annoyed. "Why are you shouting like a maniac?" Jaxon paced in frantic circles, dragging his hands through his hair. "There's—there's something under my bed," he gasped. "I swear to God, it had these creepy bloodshot eyes and this... this *thing*... it was making the weirdest noise—like a croak or a groan. I saw a hand, too! It was... **it wasn't human!**" Tayla squinted at him, struggling to process his words. "Wait... are you high or something?" Amber gave an incredulous snort. "Jaxon, it's probably just the wind or the house settling. This place is old."

Jaxon glared at them, hands still trembling as he snapped, **"Are you stupid?! Stop saying it's my imagination—blah, blah, blah—all that is bullshit! There's a fucking ghost in this house! It tried to grab me!"**

Tayla and Amber exchanged wary glances, but Jaxon wasn't done. His voice shook with frustration and fear as he continued, **"They did say this house was haunted! What the actual fuck!"** Amber's tired expression wavered slightly, now tinged with unease. Tayla's playful skepticism 

dropped, replaced by quiet concern. The tension in the room thickened like fog, making them all acutely aware of how isolated and vulnerable they were in this massive, unfamiliar mansion.

Amber shifted in her seat, hugging a pillow to her chest. "You're serious?" she whispered, her voice thin.

Jaxon threw up his hands, exasperated. "YES! I'm not messing around—something is seriously wrong here."

Tayla slowly stood, rubbing her arms as if the air had suddenly grown cold. **"Okay, so what do we do?"** Her usual confidence was gone, replaced by hesitation she couldn't hide. Amber swallowed hard. **"We can't leave, right? We signed that lease."** Jaxon scoffed bitterly. **"Great. Stuck in a haunted mansion with a ghost that wants to kill me."** Silence fell over them, and the hum of the fridge in the next room was the only sound in the house. They could hear the faint creak of the wooden floors above, as though the house was listening—waiting.

Tayla squared her shoulders, trying to shake off the creeping fear. **"We'll figure this out. It's... probably just one room. We'll avoid it for now."**

Jaxon shook his head, still breathing hard. **"You didn't see those eyes, Tayla."** Amber pulled her knees to her chest, glancing anxiously toward the dark hallway. **"Well, we better figure something out fast. 'Cause if that thing shows up again, I'm not sticking around to find out what it wants."**