Chapter 6 – "The Breathing House"
> Location: 23 Hallow Street – 2:47 PM
Zoe returned to the abandoned house at the far end of town.
No one ever claimed it. No one remembered who lived there.
Yet the porch light was always on.
She stepped inside.
The door slammed shut behind her.
No wind. No draft. Just intention.
She didn't scream. Not out of bravery —
but because of what she'd read in the journal last night:
> "Those who speak above a whisper are heard."
She whispered instead.
> "Please... I just want to look."
---
INT. MAIN HALLWAY – 2:52 PM
The wallpaper peeled in long curls, revealing old mold and scorched wood beneath.
Zoe paused.
She touched the wall.
It was… warm.
And beneath it — something moved.
Not like rodents. Not like pipes.
It shifted.
The wall exhaled.
Zoe stepped back, horrified.
The house was breathing.
---
INT. CHILD'S ROOM – 3:04 PM
She found a bedroom at the end of the hall.
Dusty toys. A cracked crib.
On the wall: drawings.
Dozens.
Children's crayon sketches —
all of the same thing:
A tall, faceless figure.
Long arms. No mouth. Watching.
Under each drawing, a name.
Some she recognized.
Clara. Kieran. Elena.
But the last one chilled her.
"LOU."
A child drawn holding the figure's hand, smiling.
And behind them…
a house, breathing.
---
INT. KITCHEN – 3:16 PM
Zoe reached the kitchen, now drenched in red light from the setting sun.
There, on the counter:
A glass of water. Fresh.
And next to it, a note:
> "The house remembers who built it."
She ran.
Didn't scream.
The walls followed her like lungs.
The floor pulsed beneath her feet.
As she reached the door, it opened for her —
but whispered:
> "Come back when you're alone."