CHAPTER 5
824 Words
CHAPTER 5
The Room That Shouldn’t Exist
Lucy sprinted through the dark corridors, her heart hammering against her ribs. The key in her hand felt like a burning brand, its weight far heavier than it should have been.
Behind her, the pounding on the study door grew violent Ray was trying to break through.
Lucas was stalling him.
Buying her time.
But for how long?
She didn’t know.
All she knew was that she had to find the hidden room.
And when she did she had to be ready for whatever truth was waiting for her inside.
The Door of Secrets
Lucy skidded to a stop in front of the east wing a part of the house she had never been allowed to enter.
The walls here were different. Darker. As if they belonged to another house entirely.
A shiver ran down her spine.
Lucas had said the room was always locked.
But with this key, she could get inside.
She found the door. Heavy. Steel-reinforced. Not like the others.
Her fingers trembled as she shoved the key into the lock.
It clicked.
The door swung open.
The Room of Nightmares
The air inside was stale like no one had stepped foot in there for years.
Lucy hesitated, her pulse thrumming.
Then she stepped inside.
And her world tilted.
The room wasn’t empty.
It was filled with portraits.
Dozens of them. All of the same woman.
Lucy felt the breath leave her lungs.
The woman in the paintings… looked exactly like her.
Same dark hair. Same brown eyes. Same delicate features.
It was like looking into a mirror.
Her stomach twisted.
This wasn’t a coincidence.
This was a warning.
Then she saw the name etched onto a silver plaque beneath one of the frames.
Eleanor Whitmore.
Her blood ran cold.
Whitmore.
Ray’s last name.
This was his first wife.
And she was Lucy’s exact double.
A Dead Woman’s Voice
Lucy’s mind spun.
Who was Eleanor? Why did she look like her?
A chill settled in her bones. Had Ray married her because of this woman?
Suddenly, her eyes caught something in the corner of the room.
A desk.
On it, is an old cassette recorder.
Her fingers trembled as she pressed play.
At first, only static filled the room.
Then a woman’s voice.
Faint. Weak. Terrified.
"If you’re hearing this… it means he’s done it again."
Lucy’s breath hitched.
"You don’t have much time. He won’t let you go. He never does. And if you’re here, it means… it means you look like me."
Tears burned in Lucy’s eyes.
"Run. Before he turns you into me."
The tape ended.
Lucy staggered back, her vision spinning.
She clamped a hand over her mouth, trying to keep the scream inside.
Eleanor had been here. Trapped. Just like her.
And now she was dead.
The Monster in the Hallway
A noise behind her.
The door clicked shut.
Lucy whirled around.
Ray stood there, his expression unreadable.
Her heart dropped.
His blue eyes swept over the room over the portraits, the tape recorder, and the open drawers.
Then, slowly, his gaze locked onto hers.
"You shouldn’t have come here," he said, his voice eerily calm.
Lucy stepped back. "Who was she?"
Ray exhaled, as if annoyed.
"You already know," he said simply.
Her nails dug into her palms. "You married me because I look like her, didn’t you?"
A long silence stretched between them.
Then—Ray smiled.
A slow, knowing, chilling smile.
"You were never meant to find out," he murmured.
Lucy’s stomach twisted.
"You killed her." Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Ray tilted his head. "Did I?"
Something in his tone sent a shiver racing down her spine.
Then he took a step forward.
Lucy’s pulse spiked.
"Why do you think I keep you so close, darling?" Ray mused, his voice almost affectionate. "Do you know how hard it was to find someone like you?"
Her breath hitched.
Lucas was right.
Ray hadn’t married her for love.
He had married her because he was obsessed.
Obsessed with a dead woman.
And now he was looking at her like she was next.
The Final Warning
Lucy bolted.
She sprinted past him, her shoulder slamming into his chest as she shoved him aside.
Ray let her go.
He didn’t chase her.
Didn’t even try to stop her.
And that terrified her more than anything.
She reached the hallway, her breath ragged.
Lucas. She had to find Lucas and get out of there.
But as she turned the corner, her blood froze.
Lucas was there.
But he wasn’t alone.
Two men in black suits were holding him down, a gun pressed against his temple.
Lucy’s heart stopped.
Ray’s voice echoed behind her.
"I told you, sweetheart…"
She turned, her entire body trembling.
Ray stood at the end of the hallway, watching her like a man who had already won.
"…You’re never getting away from me."
- Writer
