Whispers from the Attic

### **Chapter 9: The Final Warning**

H

---

The attic door stood wide open.

Darkness spilled down the hallway like smoke. Cold air rolled in waves, brushing against Evelyn’s skin as she stood frozen, clutching Lila in her arms.

She knew what the house wanted now.

**Confession.**

But saying it out loud would mean facing the truth she buried for a decade — the truth that had cost Rosie her life.

Lila stirred in her arms, whispering in her sleep.

> “He’s waiting…”

---

Evelyn didn’t wait for sunrise.

She carried her daughter downstairs, wrapped her in blankets, and placed her on the living room couch with every light in the house switched on.

Then, for the first time since the haunting began, she stood beneath the attic and **called out**.

> “I’m here, Rosie. I remember. I remember everything.”

The wind picked up inside the house. Picture frames shook. One crashed to the floor.

Evelyn’s voice cracked.

> “I didn’t mean to leave you. I was scared. You said you’d ruin me — and I... I panicked. I left you there. I let you burn.”

She collapsed to her knees, sobbing.

> “I should’ve saved you. I should’ve died with you…”

The lights flickered.

For a brief moment, the whispers stopped.

---

Then she heard **footsteps**.

But not from the attic.

From the basement.

Slow, dragging steps.

Something was **coming up**.

Evelyn stood up quickly. She ran to the kitchen, grabbed a flashlight, and opened the basement door.

Darkness.

She descended one step at a time, heart thudding.

Each creak of the wood echoed louder than the last.

At the bottom, the smell hit her.

**Smoke. Burnt wood. Old blood.**

And in the far corner, she saw it — a **charred dress** hanging from a nail on the wall. Underneath it, a broken doll.

Rosie’s.

---

Suddenly, her flashlight dimmed, then died.

A voice came from the dark.

> “You remember me now.”

Rosie’s voice.

Soft. Broken. Furious.

Evelyn turned slowly.

Nothing but shadows.

Then Rosie stepped forward.

Or what was left of her.

Her skin was scorched. Hair clung to her face in patches. But her eyes were still Rosie’s.

Full of pain.

Full of fire.

> “You left me to die.”

Evelyn fell to her knees. “I know. I’m sorry. Please… take me. Leave my daughter out of this.”

Silence.

Then Rosie whispered:

> “It’s not me you need to fear anymore.”

Before Evelyn could ask what she meant, Rosie vanished.

And from upstairs, Lila screamed.

---