Chapter 5: Behind the Doors
573 Words
The moment the black limousine vanished down the twisted path, a strange quiet fell. No birds. No crickets. Just the groaning of the iron gates behind them and the creak of massive oak doors ahead.
HillGrave Manor had opened its mouth and swallowed them whole.
The group hesitated for a moment. Then, instinctively, like strangers at a train station, they scattered, keys in hand, minds buzzing.
Luca and Zhen reached the grand staircase at the same time, both heading left. For a moment, neither spoke. Then Luca looked over with that lazy grin of his.
“You look like someone who’s mapping this place in his head already.”
Zhen raised an eyebrow but allowed a thin smile.
“You look like someone who thinks he’s in a movie.”
“Aren’t we?”
They didn’t laugh, but their footsteps synced as they walked toward the east wing. Not quite friends but a quiet, mutual recognition. Two minds that didn’t need words. Not yet.
-----
Down another hall, Rosa tossed her overnight bag on a dusty bench and looked around with a whistle.
“This place smells like death and content.”
Elise, not far behind her, squealed with a grin. “This wallpaper’s cursed, I love it.”
Both chuckled and kept exploring like they were on a scavenger hunt, opening old doors, daring each other to peek into cobwebbed closets. Rosa rolled her eyes often. Elise filmed everything.
But by the time they found their rooms adjacent, lucky coincidence they were already swapping stories and joking about doing a “Mansion After Dark” podcast crossover.
“Ghosts better be ready for us,” Rosa said, elbowing her.
“If they’re hot, I will flirt,” Elise winked.
---
In a colder corridor, Yusuf, Dakota, and Arjun walked together in near silence.
Yusuf broke it first, studying the archways.
“Odd structural choices. Staircases lead nowhere. Doors that open into bricked walls.”
“Some of it could be defensive architecture,” Arjun replied, ever analytical. “Or renovations gone wrong.”
Dakota, trailing behind, said nothing at first. Then:
“Or maybe someone didn’t want people finding their way out.”
That earned a glance from both men. Yusuf simply nodded.
They found separate rooms spartan, functional. They didn’t mind. Comfort wasn’t what they came for.
---
Nina walked alone.
She moved slowly, fingertips grazing the wooden panels like reading Braille. Her long coat drifted around her like fog, silver rings on every finger, hair pinned with crystals and feathers.
She found her room at the far end of a second floor hall its door marked with a faded moon.
She said nothing to the others. Just offered a ghost of a smile to Rosa when they passed on the stairs. Her eyes, lined with soft kohl, always seemed to be watching things no one else could see.
Inside her room, she lit a candle not from the supplies, but one she had brought herself.
She whispered something. The flame flickered wildly... then stilled.
---
By the time the ancient grandfather clock in the foyer chimed eight, most had found their rooms.
Some were curious.
Some were cautious.
Some were pretending not to be scared.
The air was colder now. The walls groaned in places where no one had stepped. The house was shifting... or settling.
No one noticed the window on the third floor slowly cracking from the inside.
- Writer
