I wasn’t afraid of the dark. I was afraid of being alone in the dark.
That’s why when Jamie shouted from the second floor — something about a new door, something “weird” — I followed everyone up, even though my legs didn’t want to move. Even though the air felt heavier up there. Like the walls were holding their breath.
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“Yo, this was not here before,” Jamie said, pointing at the door.
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It was narrow and crooked. Black like burnt wood. No dust, like the rest of the hallway. Like it had just… appeared. I stayed close behind Dani, gripping her hoodie like a kid. I didn’t care how it looked.
Jamie turned the handle and pulled the door open. The smell hit us instantly — thick, like damp earth and something long dead.
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“Ugh,” Mira winced. “That’s foul.”
Inside: stairs.
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Cracked stone steps leading into what looked like another basement — even though the house already had one. The light barely touched the bottom.
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“Okay, this is officially awesome,” Jamie said. “This is the kind of stuff our fans eat up.”
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“I don’t like this,” I whispered, mostly to myself.
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“You never like anything,” Jamie teased. “That’s your thing.”
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He aimed his flashlight down the stairs. The shadows below didn’t budge.
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“I’ll go first,” he grinned.
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And without waiting, he started down.
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Mira looked at the rest of us. “Well?”
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“Let’s go,” Dani said, following him like it was nothing.
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Leo pulled out his camera. “Hell yeah.”
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I hesitated for half a second. Then I looked at the hallway behind me.
Empty.
Still.
Waiting.
And I knew I couldn’t stay up there alone. Even if the dark below scared me more— I’d rather face whatever was down there than be left behind.
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The fourth step down was when I noticed it. The air changed. Wet. Cold. Breathing. We reached the bottom, flashlights sweeping over walls that shouldn’t exist. Stone. Cracked. Crumbling. Narrow corridor.
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“Where the hell are we?” Leo muttered, still recording.
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The hallway ended in a small chamber. Circular. Dead silent.
Nothing inside except one thing carved into the far wall, like someone had scratched it in blood or bone:
> DE LA CASA
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Jamie grinned. “Creepy name. What do we think—Spanish? Latin?”
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I grabbed his arm. “Don’t say it.”
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“Why not?” he laughed. “It’s just the name of the house.”
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“Exactly,” I said. “That’s what’s wrong.”
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They rolled their eyes, half amused. Then the lights flickered. And the hallway we’d come through… was gone. Just solid stone behind us now.
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“What the hell?” Mira whispered.
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“Where’s the door?” Leo said.
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Jamie walked to the wall and ran his hands over it. “It was right here. We came through here.”
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Mira hit her flashlight against her hand. “Okay… this is new.”
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“It’s gotta be a prank room,” Dani said. “Hidden walls or some kind of optical illusion.”
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Jamie turned around and smirked. “This is gonna be amazing in the video.”
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And then—
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drip.
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Something fell from the ceiling.
Thick. Dark. Sticky.
It landed near my shoe.
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I pointed the light up. Black liquid.
Dripping slowly from the stone.
Thick like oil. Or blood.
Then we heard it. A voice.
Not loud. Not human.
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> “One must stay.”
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We turned. All of us. Jamie was gone.
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---
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He had been right beside me. I blinked. Dani screamed.
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“Jamie?” Mira called out. “Jamie, quit it!”
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Leo spun in a circle. “He was just here! He didn’t move!”
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“He’s pranking us,” Dani said, trying to calm herself. “He’s hiding. He’s filming us freak out. This is so Jamie.”
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I wanted to believe that. But the air had shifted. The walls were listening.
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“Check the footage,” I said.
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Leo rewound the camera. We watched it.
Jamie reads the carving. Smiles.
And then—
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a flicker. A single frame glitch. Then he’s gone.
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Mira frowned. “Did he… edit this?”
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“Maybe he set something up?” Leo said.
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“He probably snuck behind one of the walls,” Dani added. “We just didn’t notice. It’s a gag. Just wait—he’s gonna pop out screaming in 3… 2…”
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Nothing. Only the thick drip from above. Only the stone, breathing around us.
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---
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Still, they didn’t panic.
Not yet.
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They laughed nervously. Joked about Jamie’s “Oscar-worthy prank.” But I didn’t. Because I knew what I felt. And I knew that whatever took Jamie…
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It wasn’t done yet.
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