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.280Please respect copyright.PENANAJoGaEaTBGO
280Please respect copyright.PENANAk7qYbPSfxg
"We need to move," I said, my voice low but firm. "Now."280Please respect copyright.PENANAy8jpvTKJ5g
280Please respect copyright.PENANACcRr9PtFqA
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."280Please respect copyright.PENANAw4vyLtSlvt
280Please respect copyright.PENANAz45vRykqVb
"And if it's locked?" Maya asked, her voice trembling.280Please respect copyright.PENANAhVIltrfs8Q
280Please respect copyright.PENANAVPVTproJVq
"It's not," Evelyn said, "Mom is always forgetful, so she leaves the key in the keyhole."280Please respect copyright.PENANAMMJOy1Q5Kd
280Please respect copyright.PENANAnzGYGEJ1OK
We exchanged uneasy glances. Evelyn seemed genuinely confused about what was going on in her own house. Hopefully, she was right about this.280Please respect copyright.PENANAc8ZJffKs6h
280Please respect copyright.PENANAIf1gBml2xP
"Stay close," I said, stepping toward the door. "And don't stop for anything."280Please respect copyright.PENANA5H3rMfXgey
280Please respect copyright.PENANAtBa22fItTF
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.280Please respect copyright.PENANAPt0qjVgKgY
280Please respect copyright.PENANAotNDdft18U
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.280Please respect copyright.PENANAZBggrjELWb
280Please respect copyright.PENANAuhQyVeMnrP
The moans grew louder, and the air grew colder. The creature was following us.280Please respect copyright.PENANAU7z3PZPpbp
280Please respect copyright.PENANA42NecscZLu
"Faster," I whispered, my heart pounding in my chest.280Please respect copyright.PENANAGHtxv2zT0i
280Please respect copyright.PENANAGbvur8wxOF
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.280Please respect copyright.PENANAce4gZ4nhpm
280Please respect copyright.PENANAhS8dyRNqGh
"Run!" I shouted, pulling the others forward to get ahead of me, starting with Sasha, Masha, Maya, then Evelyn.280Please respect copyright.PENANASFKkBLgINw
280Please respect copyright.PENANAGYSwixWQJa
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."280Please respect copyright.PENANASfl5oC11JD
280Please respect copyright.PENANAyQoNX1p1Nk
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!"280Please respect copyright.PENANAh2LBtz7dWS
280Please respect copyright.PENANAs4UHogxaRv
"Hendrick, no!" Maya screamed, her voice breaking.280Please respect copyright.PENANAHV0WVjMoaF
280Please respect copyright.PENANAgWdvW9Z1R1
"Just go!" Hendrick snapped, his eyes never leaving the creature. "I'll buy you time!"280Please respect copyright.PENANAKH5nUk2go0
280Please respect copyright.PENANAnM9v3ADHSl
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.280Please respect copyright.PENANA7obE4cSaxa
280Please respect copyright.PENANAbUTLE90ek6
"Go!" he shouted again, his voice strained.280Please respect copyright.PENANARvc1Tp1DJi
280Please respect copyright.PENANAqdHpqnFX0P
I grabbed Maya's arm, pulling her away. "We have to go!" I said, my voice tight with urgency.280Please respect copyright.PENANAHmf1oX876x
280Please respect copyright.PENANA3Hum7U9DKB
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.280Please respect copyright.PENANAh6HCusTNOc
280Please respect copyright.PENANArmo1NcXBAQ
...280Please respect copyright.PENANAqJqw5AA8cr
280Please respect copyright.PENANAah59bUJXgt
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.280Please respect copyright.PENANAHRtzMqZzfN
280Please respect copyright.PENANAIjdKCJTQKl
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.280Please respect copyright.PENANAPBwzvq3stp
280Please respect copyright.PENANAlmgmmIhBJv
Another creature stepped out of the shadows, its glowing eyes fixed on us. It was smaller than the first, but no less terrifying.280Please respect copyright.PENANA1gKDB3Vc1H
280Please respect copyright.PENANAzMpzdn48Jz
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.280Please respect copyright.PENANA1MnX2kcigF
280Please respect copyright.PENANAH7HK1aBFjd
"What the hell are you guys doing!" Masha shouted, her voice sharp. "Run."280Please respect copyright.PENANA13mpTtBbA5
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I hesitated, my heart pounding in my chest. "Masha..."280Please respect copyright.PENANA20iDQWdcd2
280Please respect copyright.PENANAaDKIRepNwj
"Don't worry," she said, forcing a small smile. "I'm right behind you."280Please respect copyright.PENANAbzekxEAvG0
280Please respect copyright.PENANAHe4rUY5lUC
We started for the door, but the creature grabbed Masha.280Please respect copyright.PENANA1znIxuIooU
280Please respect copyright.PENANASSdy8nZKoU
"No!"280Please respect copyright.PENANA8FJu9iUiOs
280Please respect copyright.PENANAfhi1NN02xq
"Keep going!" she insisted, struggling against the creature's grip.280Please respect copyright.PENANAIv6NODeh5n
280Please respect copyright.PENANAGSy49r2vQU
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.280Please respect copyright.PENANA5fcIUWqYHG
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...280Please respect copyright.PENANAK1QNypurcE
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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.280Please respect copyright.PENANAk091qhiPMq
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The sound of the creatures' moans echoed behind us, growing louder with each passing second. They were coming.280Please respect copyright.PENANAZaYQPl08tB
280Please respect copyright.PENANAvud5rCLFGK
"We need to keep moving," I said, my voice tight with urgency.280Please respect copyright.PENANA2XLVhcU1jR
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Maya nodded, her face pale but determined. Sasha was silent, her eyes filled with tears. Evelyn looked back at the mansion, her expression unreadable.280Please respect copyright.PENANAFwrNIJBGsM
280Please respect copyright.PENANAxiC1cRIE7s
"Come on," I said, grabbing her arm. "We can't stop now."280Please respect copyright.PENANAgzgOsnoLt4
280Please respect copyright.PENANAipcqAvQymR
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.280Please respect copyright.PENANAQNgVIKNtoO
280Please respect copyright.PENANA1qcLg2x5Tm
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