Morning brought no relief.
The house remained steeped in a dull, suffocating silence, as if the remnants of the night still clung to the walls like damp shadows.
Emma sat at the edge of the bed, arms wrapped around herself, listening to the quiet sounds of movement outside—soft footsteps, creaking doors, the groan of tired bodies on aged floorboards.
She grabbed her sweater and stepped slowly into the hallway.
Jessica was already in the living room, curled up in an armchair, clutching a mug that no longer steamed. Her eyes stared blankly through the window, where the morning fog stretched its fingers into the room.
"Morning," Emma whispered.
Jessica gave a faint nod.
Nóra stood at the kitchen counter, struggling to coax something coffee-like from an old stovetop espresso maker. Her movements were clumsy, like her limbs no longer answered her fully.
Gréta leaned against a chair, arms crossed, her expression tight.
"Rough night?" she muttered with a dry sarcasm that lacked its usual edge. It was all fatigue.
"Something was walking in the hallway," Jessica said quietly.
Emma stiffened.
Nóra froze mid-motion.
"It was probably… just the house shifting," she offered, too quickly.
"Houses don't sigh," Jessica whispered.
No one replied.
The candles they had left burning through the night had melted into crooked rivers of wax across the table. On the base of one candle, a faint spiral had formed in the cracks.
Emma stepped closer, drawn to it.
She reached out and touched it.
A shiver raced up her arm, like tiny needles dancing across her skin.
"Maybe we shouldn't stay long," she said, but her voice was thin, like even she didn't believe in a way out anymore.
Gréta shrugged.
"You're overreacting."
Emma raised her head slowly.
"At least I'm not pretending I didn't see it," she said quietly.
The air in the room thickened.
It felt like the house had leaned in—ear pressed against the door, listening to every word.
"You're just tired," Gréta mumbled.
Emma's lips trembled.
She knew it wasn't just her.
They all felt the weight of this place.
And the house… the house knew it too.