The Horrors

Chapter 10: The Haunting Silence

The silence was suffocating. My heart pounded in my chest, and I pressed my back to the door, hoping it would somehow hold whatever was out there. Every breath felt heavy, every movement too loud. I couldn't shake the feeling that something was waiting on the other side.

The door rattled suddenly, and I jumped, gripping the edge of the bed for support. The air in the room grew thick, like something was creeping closer. The quiet had been broken only by the faintest sound of something scraping against the floor.

"Mommy..."

The voice was soft, twisted, not Alicia's but something else-something wrong. My breath caught, my body frozen in panic. The lights flickered for a moment, casting strange shadows across the walls, deep and unnatural.

I turned toward the window, hoping to see something, anything, that could calm me. But the city lights blurred in the darkness, only amplifying my fear. Another rattle at the door made my heart leap into my throat. I stepped back, my knees weak, my thoughts racing. Was this real? Was Alicia really on the other side?

The door rattled again, louder this time, the knob twisting, but it didn't open. I backed away from it, my hand still gripping the bedpost, trying to steady myself. "Alicia?" I called out, my voice trembling. But the only response was the eerie whisper.

"Mommy... let me in..."

I swallowed hard, panic building as I realized the door wouldn't hold forever. But I couldn't run. I was trapped, stuck in the room, feeling the walls closing in on me with each passing second.

Another voice-more distorted, deeper-joined in, layering over Alicia's whispers. My body trembled as I sank to the floor, trying to breathe, trying to keep control of my mind. I could feel the presence outside, pressing in on me, clawing at my sanity.

"Mommy..." The word echoed, reverberating in my skull, and my pulse quickened.

I couldn't stay here, but I couldn't move either. The fear paralyzed me. I stayed in the corner, trying to block out the voices, my heart pounding so loudly it felt like it would tear me apart. The door held, but I knew it was only a matter of time before it didn't.