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Ugh.As I kill the engine of my car, my phone buzzes from its perch in the cup holder. Lo and behold, it's a text from my vanished stepbrother.
DOM: Start without me.
Great. So…does that mean he’s coming?
I grimace, pausing for a moment as I rake my fingers through my already-tousled blonde hair. I grab a hair tie from my console and pull it up into a messy bun on my head. I can’t help but wonder what version of Dom I’ll get tonight if he shows. Will the space I took turn him back into the demeaning asshole? Or will he still have that strangely appealing soft side?
It doesn’t matter.I sigh at the thought of his smug face before pocketing my phone and grabbing several garlands of dried herbs from the passenger seat. The sun is already dipping below the tree line, casting long shadows across the overgrown grounds. A shiver rolls down my spine, and I’m fairly certain it has nothing to do with the frigid October air.
The heavy iron keys feel awkward in my hand as I sidle up to the front porch. It takes some wrangling, but eventually the ancient lock gives way with a loudclick. I push the door open, wincing at the eerie creak of the old hinges. Without Cornelius clowning around, the creepy atmosphere of this place suddenly feels a lot less comical.
The dark entrance hall swallows me whole as I step inside, my fingers fumbling for the nearest light switch. My footsteps echo off the marble floor, every sound almost deafening in thestill space. I've been in this house more times than I could count, but being here utterly alone as night falls? Yeah, that has me desperate to run back to the safety of my car and put the whole estate firmly in my rearview.
I do my best to shake off the unease and square my shoulders as I make my way to the ballroom. There's work to be done, and I'll be damned if I give Melanie any more reasons to criticize me. The sooner I get started, the sooner I can get the fuck out of here.
With preparations in full swing, the ballroom is now a mess of half-unpacked boxes and bubble-wrapped vases. I set my bag down with a huff and try to decide where to start. Whoever thought that twenty-foot ceilings were a good idea clearly never had to decorate the damn place.
“Gross fucking cobwebs,”I mutter, stretching as far as I can from the top of a rickety ladder Cornelius has kindly left for my use. I’m half convinced he’s hoping to add another ghost to his gaggle of unearthlyfriends,given the absolute deathtrap I’m currently teetering on. My fingertips just barely graze the nail where I'm trying to hang a garland of ivy. Maybe if I just... reach... a little... further...
The ladder wobbles dangerously. With nothing to grab onto, I'm soon falling backwards with a horrified yelp. I land hard on my ass, my dignity bruised just as badly as my tailbone. For a moment, I just lie there in stunned silence. Then, despite myself, I start to laugh.
“Real graceful, Shiloh,” I snort, hauling myself to my feet and rubbing at the sore spot. “Lucky you didn’t break your fucking neck.”
I'm still chuckling as I dust myself off, ready to tackle the decorations more at my level. But suddenly, I hear a loudclang!from somewhere upstairs, like metal dropped on stone.
I freeze, every muscle in my body locking tight as my ears strain to hear any other disturbance. Silence stretches for a long moment, and I'm about ready to dismiss it entirely when another sound echoes through the supposedly empty house. This time it's a series of thuds, as if someone is swiping heavy objects onto the carpeted floor above me.
My heart immediately starts to race. Dom implied he was coming, but I'm certain I would have heard the front door creaking open if he’d shown up.Right?There shouldn't be anyone else here.
I debate calling Cornelius…or the police. But what would I even say?'Hi, I heard a noise in the spooky old mansion I'm decorating for a Halloween party'?
They'd laugh me right out of town. No, I need to investigate this myself. After all, it's probably just a squirrel that found its way through a cracked window.
Yeah. That must be it.
Or maybe I’ll meet one of Cornelius’s ghost friends.
Forcing my feet to move as a shudder rolls down my body, I creep back out of the ballroom and towards the grand staircase in the entrance foyer. Each step feels like it takes an eternity, the carpet runner muffling my footsteps as I head up to the second floor. The landing is cloaked in shadow, barely illuminated by the fading twilight outside.
“Hello?” I call out stupidly as I reach the top of the stairs, my voice cracking in my failed attempt to sound confident. “Is someone there?”
The only answer is the groan of old floorboards beneath my feet. I edge down the hallway, intensely aware of every creak and rustle around me. Doors loom on either side, their brass knobstarnished with age and coated with dust. None of them look disturbed.
So, where the hell did that racket come from?
Suddenly, a floorboard creaks behind me, and I whirl around, my heart in my throat. “Who's there?” I demand, trying desperately to gulp down a full breath. “You can't be in here, this is private property!”
I continue my search on shaky legs. Then, at the far end of the corridor, a shadow moves. I squint, trying to make out details in the gloom. Another few tentative steps forward and I’m certain of what I’m seeing.
The cloaked figure is back, standing starkly still.
I refuse to be frightened again. I decide I’m going to stride right up to the fucker and rip their disguise off Scooby Doo-style. After all, more than likely, it’s some student trying to bespooky. But, before I can even get halfway down the passage, they turn and dart back the way they came.
“Hey!” I shout, immediately breaking into a run. “Stop!”
I skid around the corner, nearly losing my footing on the worn, holey carpet. The intruder is already disappearing around another bend in the labyrinthine hallways. I’m not giving up, my breath coming in ragged gasps as I sprint like a hound who’s caught a scent.
Left, right, another right… I quickly lose track of how many turns we've taken. This manor is a freaking maze, and I'm becoming more disoriented by the second. I round another corner, certain I've finally caught up, only to find myself facing an empty stretch of hallway.
