He hesited.
Then slowly, he climbed the staircase.
Each step felt heavier than the last. The house seemed to breathe around him- walls cracking softly, doors shifting, shadows moving when he was not looking directly at them.
At the end of the hallway was a single door.
It was slightly open.
Inside there was a mirror.
Old. Tall. Covered in dust.
Ethan stepped closer.
For a moment, he only saw his reflection.
Then... it moved.
Not him.
His reflection was still smiling... while his real face was not.
Ethan stumbled black.
The reflection leaned closer to the glass...it's eyes darker... hollow.
"... you came..."
The whisper wasn't in the room anymore.
It was inside his head.