Ethan didn't sleep.
He couldn't.
Even when his eyes closed, the house didn't let him rest.
It whispered.
Not like before—no, this was different. Closer. Louder. As if the walls had moved in during the night, tightening around him like a living thing.
Ethan…
His eyes snapped open.
Darkness.
But not empty darkness.
Watching darkness.
He sat up slowly, heart pounding. The air felt heavier than usual, thick like something unseen was pressing against his chest.
"Lina?" he called softly.
No response.
He turned his head toward her bed.
Empty.
The blanket was crumpled, like she had left in a hurry.
A cold wave washed over him.
"Lina?"
This time, louder.
Still nothing.
Then—
A sound.
Not from the hallway.
Not from downstairs.
From inside the walls.
A slow, wet breathing sound.
Ethan froze.
It wasn't imagination.
The wall beside him… was moving.
He stared.
At first, it looked like a trick of the shadows.
But then it pulsed.
Like something underneath was alive.
Breathing.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
"No…" he whispered, backing away.
The wallpaper began to stretch slightly with each breath, bulging outward before sinking back in.
And then—
A shape pressed against it from inside.
A hand.
Human.
Desperate.
Pushing.
Scratching.
Trying to get out.
Ethan stumbled backward, his legs hitting the bed.
The hand dragged slowly across the wall, leaving a dark stain beneath the paper.
And then it stopped.
Everything went still.
The breathing ceased.
Silence crashed down.
Ethan didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't think.
Until—
Thump.
From the hallway.
He turned toward the door.
Another sound.
Thump.
Closer.
Like something heavy being dragged across the floor.
"Lina…?" he whispered again, fear tightening his throat.
Then—
A voice.
Her voice.
"Mhm… Ethan…"
Weak.
Faint.
From outside.
He rushed to the door and flung it open.
The hallway stretched endlessly in both directions, darker than he remembered. The air smelled… wrong.
Rotten.
Wet.
And there she was.
Lina.
At the far end of the hall.
On the floor.
Being dragged.
By nothing.
Her fingers clawed at the wood, nails scraping, leaving thin red lines behind.
"ETHAN!" she screamed.
He ran.
But the hallway… changed.
The more he ran, the farther she seemed.
"No—no—NO!"
His legs burned, but he didn't stop.
"Hold on! I'm coming!"
But Lina's body jerked suddenly, yanked backward faster.
Her scream echoed, stretching unnaturally as she disappeared into the darkness.
Then—
Silence.
Ethan stopped.
Panting.
Alone.
The hallway was normal again.
Short.
Empty.
Like nothing had happened.
"No…" he whispered, shaking his head. "No, no, no…"
His chest tightened as panic took over.
It wasn't just the house anymore.
It was hunting them.
Separating them.
Playing with them.
Then he noticed something.
A door.
Right in front of him.
It hadn't been there before.
He was sure of it.
Old.
Wooden.
Rotting.
And it was… moving.
Not swinging.
Breathing.
Just like the wall.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
The wood stretched slightly with each pulse, as if it had lungs.
Ethan stared, frozen.
A low whisper seeped through the cracks.
Not one voice.
Many.
Layered.
Overlapping.
Open…
Open…
Open…
His hand trembled at his side.
He knew—
He knew this was wrong.
That opening that door would change everything.
But Lina was gone.
And the house…
Was waiting.
Slowly—
As if something else controlled him—
Ethan raised his hand.
And touched the breathing door.
It was warm.
Too warm.
Like skin.
The whispers grew louder.
OPEN IT.
Ethan swallowed.
And pushed.
To be continued…