The air was thick with tension as the group huddled in the walk-in closet, the faint hum of the mansion's ancient air conditioning drowned out by the guttural moans echoing through the halls. Hendrick stood by the door, his bloodied hands gripping the clothes hanger like a weapon. His face was pale, but his eyes were sharp, focused.278Please respect copyright.PENANAJFUfBBt5Zf
278Please respect copyright.PENANACtIz0Z4bfK
"We need to move," I said, my voice low but firm. "Now."278Please respect copyright.PENANAiznF4ofEHs
278Please respect copyright.PENANAgdI7NjTH70
Evelyn nodded, her usual confidence replaced by a quiet determination. "My mom's room is down the hall. There's a back door that leads to the garden. We can get out that way."278Please respect copyright.PENANAoK9lzijpeY
278Please respect copyright.PENANAmCgoZdWNRt
"And if it's locked?" Maya asked, her voice trembling.278Please respect copyright.PENANAetvRJJ16qS
278Please respect copyright.PENANARrpuMRXmZi
"It's not," Evelyn said, "Mom is always forgetful, so she leaves the key in the keyhole."278Please respect copyright.PENANAvTK7xNAJSz
278Please respect copyright.PENANA1h80Xy1s5j
We exchanged uneasy glances. Evelyn seemed genuinely confused about what was going on in her own house. Hopefully, she was right about this.278Please respect copyright.PENANAoriVWrM90Y
278Please respect copyright.PENANAH2YEQpTYo4
"Stay close," I said, stepping toward the door. "And don't stop for anything."278Please respect copyright.PENANA8y65cNMkRd
278Please respect copyright.PENANAN8l6JQWKgw
I opened the door slowly, peering into the hallway. The shadows seemed to shift and twist, the faint sound of footsteps echoing in the distance. The creature was close—too close.278Please respect copyright.PENANAxn7PKhbx2f
278Please respect copyright.PENANAHd4kTiAcNE
We moved as one, our footsteps soft but hurried. Evelyn led the way, her familiarity with the mansion guiding us through the labyrinth of hallways. Hendrick brought up the rear, his eyes darting nervously behind us.278Please respect copyright.PENANAaXsnlaTdQD
278Please respect copyright.PENANAFGDcOeRh14
The moans grew louder, and the air grew colder. The creature was following us.278Please respect copyright.PENANAMJQEqb9inj
278Please respect copyright.PENANAKrM5QeTHSH
"Faster," I whispered, my heart pounding in my chest.278Please respect copyright.PENANAx7sOpb5SGh
278Please respect copyright.PENANAOQUkdmZI3n
We turned a corner, and the hallway seemed to stretch on forever. The sound of the creature's footsteps grew louder, closer. I glanced over my shoulder and saw it—a hunched, humanoid figure with glowing eyes and a grotesque snarl. It was gaining on us.278Please respect copyright.PENANArrxYFyCDPP
278Please respect copyright.PENANARrLIdTJ7m5
"Run!" I shouted, pulling the others forward to get ahead of me, starting with Sasha, Masha, Maya, then Evelyn.278Please respect copyright.PENANAN27KkjKJcn
278Please respect copyright.PENANAw0kq4Nhid0
But Evelyn froze, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at the creature. "No," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "It's… it's Grandpa."278Please respect copyright.PENANAuNLQ11arnI
278Please respect copyright.PENANAvXNyE56xPN
Hendrick didn't hesitate. He stepped in front of Evelyn, his clothes hanger raised like a weapon. "Go!" he shouted, his voice firm. "I'll hold it off!"278Please respect copyright.PENANAPSzq462WUa
278Please respect copyright.PENANAyOiRq02qka
"Hendrick, no!" Maya screamed, her voice breaking.278Please respect copyright.PENANARvbJp9CJzK
278Please respect copyright.PENANAKafIjuFARP
"Just go!" Hendrick snapped, his eyes never leaving the creature. "I'll buy you time!"278Please respect copyright.PENANAbIjkcLantI
278Please respect copyright.PENANAVHhmA3I8f9
The creature lunged, its claws slashing through the air. Hendrick swung the hanger, the metal clanging against the creature's arm. It roared, a sound that sent shivers down my spine, but Hendrick stood his ground, his face pale but determined.278Please respect copyright.PENANAaoAmHOMB10
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"Go!" he shouted again, his voice strained.278Please respect copyright.PENANAJYee7nfL3B
278Please respect copyright.PENANAHS8vtSpGSJ
I grabbed Maya's arm, pulling her away. "We have to go!" I said, my voice tight with urgency.278Please respect copyright.PENANABOuwnh9Cc3
278Please respect copyright.PENANAj7OIXk7xts
Maya hesitated, her eyes filled with tears, but she nodded. We ran, a loud defiant scream from Hendrick coming from behind us. I didn't look back. I couldn't.278Please respect copyright.PENANAlZxK0OQL9c
278Please respect copyright.PENANA6u1mvmhoHH
...278Please respect copyright.PENANA2hGw6ztdR0
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We reached Evelyn's mom's room, the door slightly ajar. Evelyn pushed it open, her hands trembling. "This way," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.278Please respect copyright.PENANAV7tEBb5EnR
278Please respect copyright.PENANAFpfmJWSLko
The room was dark, the air heavy with the scent of dust and decay. The back door was visible at the far end, but before we could move, a low, guttural moan filled the room.278Please respect copyright.PENANAnbAfN2mbmX
278Please respect copyright.PENANAq5EXiVr72O
Another creature stepped out of the shadows, its glowing eyes fixed on us. It was smaller than the first, but no less terrifying.278Please respect copyright.PENANAJXHMgala4C
278Please respect copyright.PENANAOrVquaO8yc
Masha quickly grabbed a lamp from a nearby table and hurled it at the creature, the glass shattering against its chest. The creature seemed unaffected by Masha's move, roaring instead, its attention fully on Masha.278Please respect copyright.PENANAzazNq28zsM
278Please respect copyright.PENANATSZvbtAwFG
"What the hell are you guys doing!" Masha shouted, her voice sharp. "Run."278Please respect copyright.PENANAF1lE4bzaga
278Please respect copyright.PENANA9gT89ubWMJ
I hesitated, my heart pounding in my chest. "Masha..."278Please respect copyright.PENANAEAvMoyZRB6
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"Don't worry," she said, forcing a small smile. "I'm right behind you."278Please respect copyright.PENANADCCZTMC5rd
278Please respect copyright.PENANAMuruXqisCG
We started for the door, but the creature grabbed Masha.278Please respect copyright.PENANArT5xXyBW5D
278Please respect copyright.PENANANlYdYVgk3C
"No!"278Please respect copyright.PENANAHnT2ysMegS
278Please respect copyright.PENANA88u4ycEZgX
"Keep going!" she insisted, struggling against the creature's grip.278Please respect copyright.PENANAfH3pLd1UD6
278Please respect copyright.PENANA9RrlJ5iYHC
And so we did. I glanced over my shoulder just in time to see the creature lunging at her, its claws slashing through the air. Masha didn't scream. She just looked at us, her eyes filled with a quiet resolve, and a small smile on her face just before the creature's claws tears into her sternum, separating her body in two.278Please respect copyright.PENANAQmsjGGgqD3
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...278Please respect copyright.PENANAyKbYsqIvd4
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We burst through the back door, the cool night air hitting us like a slap. The garden stretched out before us, the moonlight casting long, eerie shadows across the grass. But the relief was short-lived.278Please respect copyright.PENANA4C139Tm1eA
278Please respect copyright.PENANAnH0x5XEi4b
The sound of the creatures' moans echoed behind us, growing louder with each passing second. They were coming.278Please respect copyright.PENANAXvjTabpyIK
278Please respect copyright.PENANA4NSdNKzrZs
"We need to keep moving," I said, my voice tight with urgency.278Please respect copyright.PENANAHDCEb5Jeqt
278Please respect copyright.PENANAIpdKzi1JPL
Maya nodded, her face pale but determined. Sasha was silent, her eyes filled with tears. Evelyn looked back at the mansion, her expression unreadable.278Please respect copyright.PENANACMFdUYcJbG
278Please respect copyright.PENANAtprkPazOFS
"Come on," I said, grabbing her arm. "We can't stop now."278Please respect copyright.PENANADLphAsocAh
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We ran, the sound of the creatures' footsteps echoing behind us. The garden seemed to stretch on forever, the shadows twisting and shifting as if alive. But we didn't stop. We couldn't.278Please respect copyright.PENANAT2Dpr4TBlg
278Please respect copyright.PENANAQjDQNrOJbS
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