Three Knocks Upstairs

"Do you really think she's still here?" Jamie's voice cracked as she stared at the peeling wallpaper

in the hallway. The scent of mildew clung to the air, thick enough to taste.

A floorboard groaned underfoot as Marcus stepped forward, flashlight beam trembling slightly.

He hadn't told Jamie about the figure he'd seen last night—how it had passed straight through the boarded-up

kitchen door like smoke. His palms were sweating around the flashlight, the plastic growing

slippery. Jamie reached out to touch the wallpaper, fingertips brushing a patch where the

pattern swirled into something almost resembling a face. The moment her skin made contact,

the temperature dropped so suddenly their breaths came out in visible puffs. Somewhere upstairs,