Haunting Passion

Chapter 3

The heavy doors groaned shut behind Samantha, seeming to seal her into the dimly lit foyer with an air of finality. A shudder passed through her slender frame as she took in the faded grandeur of her surroundings.

Dust motes danced in the pale streams of moonlight filtering through the high windows, reflecting off the tarnished brass chandelier above. The air smelled of mildew

and age. The once-rich carpeting was threadbare, a faded crimson that wouldn't look out of place in a slaughterhouse.

Pressing a hand to her hammering heart, she peered down the hallway to her right. Slivers of light peeked through the cracks of a door at the far end. Perhaps someone was residing here after all. Samantha started down the murky corridor, her heels muffled by the carpet.

"Hello?" she called out tremulously. "I'm terribly sorry to intrude. But my car broke down outside and my phone is dead. May I please use your telephone?"

Her words seemed to swallow the heavy silence like pebbles dropped into a murky pond, the ripples soon stilled into nothingness. A draft stirred, causing her to shiver as she reached the closed door.

Samantha raised her hand to knock, then paused. She couldn't explain the strange sense of trepidation settling over her, as if some silent voice was warning her not to go any further.

But what choice did she have?

Drawing a steadying breath, she rapped her knuckles against the wood. The sound reverberated dully throughout the hallway. Seconds ticked by as she strained her ears for any response.

Then a floorboard creaked directly behind her.

Samantha spun around with a terrified cry, her heart leaping into her throat. There, in the shadows, stood a towering silhouette of a man.