Chapter 2: The First Night
Elena stood in the nursery doorway, frozen. The stitched mouth curved
upward in a grotesque parody of joy, its eyeless sockets staring into
nothing.
Elena V.
I swear to god...this house is gonna be the death of me.
Elena V.
*turns around sharply, stiffling a scream*
Elena V.
Whoever's playing this damn trick..
Elena V.
*backs out of the
room, pulling the door shut behind her. *
Elena V.
💭 I don't remember this nursery being here...but I remember this room.
Elena V.
💭 How could I ever forget it? it's like the memories are etched onto me.
She went downstairs, trying to shake the feeling. The house groaned
around her, settling into its bones. The floorboards creaked with each
step, but she couldn’t tell if it was her weight or something else
moving beneath.
In the kitchen, she found the old rotary phone still mounted to the
wall. It hadn’t worked in years, but the receiver was off the hook.
Elena V.
I should probably call Naomi here...a little company would be better.
Elena V.
*picks up the phone. Then sees the the plug isn't connected* Tsk. I'll just call from my phone. So much for a landline.
Then suddenly, like the faintest whisper, a broken voice glitches through the receiver.
Unknown
Why are you ignoring me?
Unknown
It's been so long since we united... remember all those times I've supported you during your darkest days?
Unknown
D-don-t-for-get-m-me..
Elena V.
*Slams the receiver down onto the table, as if it had burned her hand*
Elena V.
💭 I'll just go to sleep. I think I'm so exhausted that I'm imagining stuff.
She turned to leave—and stopped.
On the kitchen table lay a photograph. She hadn’t seen it before. It was
old, faded, the edges curled. A family portrait. Her mother stood in the
center, smiling tightly. Elena was beside her, maybe six years old. But
something was wrong.
Elena V.
💭 They're missing...
Elena V.
💭 Maybe it's because of wear..?
She stared at the photo until her vision blurred.
What her friend had been telling her about.
Scratching.
Faint. Rhythmic. Coming from inside the wall.
Elena V.
*presses her ear to the plaster, her heart thumping wildly as she dares not to make a sound*
Unknown
*Tap..tap...tap..*
Mhm. That night, you could say, Elena didn't sleep.
She spent the night pacing the hallway, her bare feet silent on the
wood. The house whispered around her—groans, creaks, the occasional thud
from somewhere deep below.
Elena V.
*mutters to herself* if the hall already feels like this creepy mess, then I can't even think about how bad the basement must be..
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