REBIRTH (death penalty)

THE SHADOW

Chapter 7:

Erica opened the apartment door, exhaustion and excitement wading through her like a heavy fog. She dropped her bag on the floor and flopped onto the sofa, calling out, "Lily! I'm home!"

The apartment was quiet, the only sound was the soft hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen. Erica shrugged, thinking Lily was probably out with friends or running errands.

As she kicked off her shoes, a faint whisper seemed to dance across her skin, sending shivers down her spine. Erica's eyes scanned the room, but everything seemed normal. She shrugged it off, attributing it to the long day.

But then, she saw it. A shadow, like a dark, tattered cloak, fluted across the hallway, disappearing into Lily's room. Erica's heart skipped a beat. The shadow was followed by an eerie silence.

Erica's voice trembled as she called out, "Hello? Who's there?" Her words echoed through the empty apartment, unanswered.

She slowly stood up, her legs feeling like jelly. The air seemed to thicken, making it hard to breathe. Erica took a step forward, her eyes fixed on Lily's room.

"Who are you?" she whispered, her voice shaking. "Are you th...there?"

The hallway seemed to stretch on forever, the walls closing in on her. Erica's heart pounded in her chest, the only sound in the oppressive silence.

As she approached Lily's room, the door seemed to grow larger, looming over her like a monster. Erica's hand reached out, trembling, to grasp the handle.

But she hesitated, her mind racing with worst-case scenarios. What if it was a burglar? What if it was something worse?

Erica took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. But as she did, she heard a faint whisper in her ear, "Ohh... my dear Erica."

Her blood ran cold. Erica spun around, but there was no one there. The whisper seemed to come from all around her, echoing in her mind.

With a shaking hand, she pushed open the door to Lily's room.

The room was dark, the curtains drawn. Erica fumbled for the light switch, her heart racing.

As the light flickered on, Erica's eyes landed on a figure standing in the corner of the room. It was an old woman, her face twisted in a grotesque grin. Her eyes were black as coal, and her skin was gray and decaying.

Erica's scream was trapped in her throat, unable to escape. The old woman's eyes locked onto hers, and Erica felt a cold, bony hand close around her heart.

But then, something unexpected happened. The old woman's expression changed, her eyes filling with a desperate sadness. She opened her mouth, and a faint whisper escaped, "Help me...help me..."

Erica's fear was replaced by confusion. What was the old woman saying? What did she need help with?

But before Erica could react, the old woman vanished into thin air. The room was silent; she could only hear the sound of her heart pounding in her chest at that point.

Erica stood there, frozen in shock, trying to process what she had just seen.

Just then, the front door opened, and Lily walked in, a bright smile on her face. "Hey, Erica! How was your first day?"

Erica spun around, her eyes wild as she rushed to Lily "Lily, I saw...I saw..."

Lily's expression changed, concern etched on her face. "Erica, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Erica tried to explain, but the words tumbled out in a jumbled mess. Lily listened patiently, a gentle smile on her face.

"Erica, I think you've had a long day," she said, leading Erica to the sofa. "You probably just hallucinated, okay?"

Erica shook her head, trying to clear the cobwebs. "I don't think I hallucinated Lil," her face still filled with confusion and fear. Lily brought her a glass of water, and Erica took a sip, feeling the cool liquid soothe her parched throat. "You imagined all these things you just said, Erica, you know you just had maybe a long day at work," Lily said with a straight face.

Lily was right. Maybe it was just my imagination playing tricks on me.

"I'm fine, Lily," she said, trying to reassure her friend. "

Lily nodded, smiling. "Get some rest, Erica. Everything will be okay in the morning."

Erica nodded, feeling a sense of relief wash over her. Maybe it was just a hallucination. Maybe she was just tired.

But as she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, Erica couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. The old woman's desperate whisper echoed in her mind, "Help me...help me..."