The House That Smelled Like Death

A few months ago, a close friend and I stayed overnight in a house on the edge of a small

town. The place was cheap, quiet, and mostly empty. It smelled wrong

from the moment we walked in. We were visiting someone we'd known in college,

and hotels in the area were expensive. He suggested we stay at a friend's place instead.

Said the house was old but clean, on the outskirts of town, and barely used.

When we arrived, nothing looked unusual. Peeling paint. A narrow porch. A small,

overgrown garden out front. No broken windows. No signs of neglect beyond age.

But the smell lingered in the air. It wasn't overpowering. Just heavy. Stale.