The afternoon bled away into a soft, grey evening. Kaima spent it in her room, reviewing her sparse notes from the session with Damien. His words played over in her mind, poetic, evasive, and deeply melancholic. She found herself sketching idle circles on the paper, around the words "light itself" and "several lifetimes." A therapist's curiosity warred with a more personal, burgeoning fascination.
As dusk settled properly, she realised the house had gone quiet again. The distant, comforting sounds of industry, the soft footsteps, the faint clatter of cleaning had ceased entirely. She stepped out into the corridor. It was empty, the wall sconces casting small pools of light that seemed to be swallowed by the deepening shadows at either end. The transformation was absolute. The bustling manor of the day had once again become the silent, lonely mausoleum of the night.
A faint prickle of unease traced its way down her spine. Where did they all go? The maids, the staff? Vincent had said nothing about them leaving. It was as if they had simply vanished into the very walls of the house.
Shaking her head, she retreated to her room. She was being ridiculous. They'd probably all gone to their own quarters in a different part of the estate, or home to the local village. It was none of her business. She was here to do a job.
She ran a bath in the deep, claw-foot tub, trying to wash away the lingering sense of disquiet with the steam and the scent of lavender soap. The hot water was plentiful and soothing, but even as she relaxed, the silence felt heavy, watchful. She found herself listening for any sound beyond the drip of the tap, hearing only the frantic beat of her own heart.
Later, dressed in her pyjamas, she stood brushing her teeth in the ensuite. The mirror showed her reflection, her face pale and her eyes slightly wide. The house was so still. Too still. The feeling returned, stronger this time, a distinct, unsettling sensation that she was not alone. That someone was watching her.
She spun around, her breath catching. The bedroom was empty. The door was closed. The fire had died down to embers.
"Get a grip, Kaima," she muttered to herself, her voice loud in the oppressive quiet. It was just anxiety. It was a new place, a strange situation. Her mind was playing tricks on her. It had to be.
She climbed into the vast bed, the sheets cold against her skin. Needing a connection to the world outside, she picked up her phone and texted Gloria.
Kai: This place is seriously weird. All the staff vanish at night. The whole house goes dead quiet. Just me and the creepy portraits. And I keep feeling like I'm being watched. I'm probably just tired.
Gloria's reply was almost instant.
Gloria: RIGHT. That's it. I'm coming to get you. That is not normal. Pack your stuff.
Kaima sighed, a small smile touching her lips at her friend's dramatics.
Kai: Don't be daft. It's just a big old house. It makes noises. My imagination is running wild. The client is perfectly lovely. We had a good session today. I'm fine. Really.
Gloria: You're sure? Text me first thing in the morning. I mean it!
Kai: I promise. Night x
She put the phone on the bedside table and switched off the lamp, plunging the room into absolute darkness. The kind of deep, country darkness she wasn't used to, so complete it felt like a weight on her eyes. She lay there, listening to the silence, trying to convince herself the feeling of being watched was just her mind playing tricks.
Eventually, exhaustion won over anxiety, and her breathing evened out, sinking into the deep, still waters of sleep.
She did not stir. She did not sense the movement in the absolute blackness of the room. She did not feel the presence that had been there all along, patient and unmoving in the far corner, where the shadows were thickest.
As she slept, unaware, the darkness shifted.
Two points of light ignited in the blackness. Not lights. Eyes. They glowed with a faint, hellish crimson gleam, fixed unblinkingly on her sleeping form. They held no warmth, no humanity, only a vast, ancient, and hungry obsession.
They watched her for a long, long time before the darkness swallowed them again, leaving no trace that anything had ever been there at all.