Whisper beyond the door
As Matt and Jess walked away from the house, they felt the weight of the night lift from their shoulders. The darkness behind them was finally fading, but there was something in the air—something that still felt wrong.
They reached the edge of the yard, the house looming in the distance, quiet as ever. No strange whispers, no glowing symbols, just the cold morning air brushing past them.
Jess stopped. She glanced over her shoulder, a nervous shiver running down her spine. "Matt," she said, her voice tight, "do you ever wonder... what if we didn't really finish it?"
Matt frowned. "What are you talking about? It's over. We got rid of the locket, and the house is silent."
But Jess wasn't convinced. Her eyes flickered back to the house, and for the briefest moment, she thought she saw movement in the upstairs window. A figure—someone watching them.
"Maybe it's waiting for us to come back," Jess whispered. "Maybe it was never about the house. Maybe it was about us. We weren't meant to walk away."
Matt's heart skipped a beat. A cold feeling crept over him.
"Stop it. There's nothing left," he said, though his voice lacked certainty.
But Jess shook her head. "You saw the way the locket changed. You felt it, didn't you? The way it pulled us in, like it knew something we didn't."
Before Matt could answer, they heard something. A faint noise, coming from the house. The door creaked. The wind kicked up, swirling around them. Then, another sound—faint, almost distant—like someone laughing.
But it wasn't a laugh they recognized.
It was Mary's laugh.
Their blood froze.
"Let's go," Matt urged, grabbing Jess's hand, pulling her forward. He didn't want to look back, but he could feel it—the house wasn't done with them. Not yet.
As they walked away, the feeling grew stronger, pressing against them, heavier with each step.
Then they heard it again. A whisper. Soft at first, but growing louder, closer.
"Dare you return?"
It was a question. But it was a command. The air seemed to hold its breath as if the world itself was waiting for their answer.
And in the distance, the door of the house slowly creaked open.