It was supposed to be a fresh start. My family had moved into an old wooden house left behind by distant relatives, a place my parents said would finally belong to us. From the outside, the two-story building looked simple, quiet, almost harmless.
But the moment I stepped through the door, something felt wrong.
The air was thick, carrying the scent of damp wood and old dust. The walls seemed to lean closer, and the creaking floorboards groaned beneath our feet as though the house itself was waking from a long, restless sleep. My skin prickled, but I said nothing.
That first night, silence swallowed the house whole.
The only sound came from the ancient clock in the living room.
Tick… tock… tick… tock…
Each beat was louder than the last, echoing into the empty darkness.
I lay in bed, eyes wide open, staring at the ceiling. The wooden beams above me cast long shadows in the dim light from the window. I pulled the blanket tighter around me, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling that I wasn't alone.
Then I heard it.
Footsteps.
Soft. Careful. Too light to belong to my father, too heavy to be the wind. They echoed faintly through the hallway, one after another, moving closer.
My breath caught. Everyone was asleep.
The sound stopped.
I told myself it was nothing just the old house settling. But the silence grew heavier, pressing against my ears. And then, the footsteps began again, this time right outside my door.
The doorknob rattled. Slowly.
Metal scraped against metal, as if unseen fingers were trying to turn it.
I froze. My heart pounded so hard I thought the whole house would hear it. I didn't dare breathe. I didn't dare blink.
And then… it stopped.
The silence was worse than the sound. I waited, straining to hear anything, when suddenly, from the corner of the room, came the faintest whisper.
A voice. Low. Hollow. Calling my name.
I bolted upright, my body shaking, eyes darting around the room.
There was nothing only shadows clinging to the walls. But the air was cold now, unnaturally cold. My breath came out in a thin cloud.The clock in the living room struck again.
Tick… tock… tick… tock…
Each second felt like an eternity.
That was the moment I realized… this house wasn't empty.
It never was.