iding into his usual booth b

e myself. "Barely. Mrs. Patel ha

" Liam leans back in his seat, giving me that mischiev

n the towel hanging from my apron

e're sharing some grand secret. "Alright, so you know that old

n abandoned for as long as I can remember, and no one ev

y bought it. Moved in a few weeks ago, appar

le buy houses all the time. Wh

ut of nowhere, buys the place, and now there are all these rumors about weird things happening aro

e mansion has always been a source of fascination for people around here, and i

ht it'd be fun to check it out. Yo

o some rich guy's house just because people are

grins, nudging my arm. "It'll be fun. Besides,

bout as far from exciting as it gets. Day in and day out, I'm either here at the restaurant

tel pokes her head out of the kitc

getic look. "I'll think abou

satisfied with that.

of the day passes in a blur of orders, dishes, and tired feet. By the time my shift en

r, I spot Liam waiting for me by th

ke I've already agre

iling. "You're not going

we walk down the street. "Come on, Selene. It'l

lk, that strange feeling creeps back-the one I've been trying to ignore. Like someone's watching me. I glance over my shoulder, hal

it's just my imagination. After

in the shadow of something ancient. As we walked closer, I felt the weight of it looming over us, an old beast tha

ked, it was gone-just shadows, I told myself. Still, a chill crept down my spine. The place looked

ted shapes that looked like something from a nightmare. Liam pushed it open with a creak, and the sound made me flinch, though he didn't seem

swirling designs that I couldn't quite make out. Ancient symbols, maybe. I didn't like the way they seemed to shimmer in

called, already inside.

emperature drop. The air was thick, heavy, like it hadn't been disturbed in decades. Dust clung to