The halls of the estate lay quiet, the rhythmic ticking of the grandfather clock echoing through darkened corridors, mingling with the soft patter of rain against the windows. Tick, tick, tick. The oppressive weight of the night seemed to amplify the silence, adding a sinister edge to the nearly abandoned manor. Even the servants, tucked away in their distant quarters, were blissfully unaware of the wind that howled and scraped at the shutters.

Harvey’s knuckles whitened around the candelabra’s handle, the soft glow of the flame barely holding the encroaching darkness at bay. His eyes flitted nervously across the parlor, chasing shadows that seemed to gather in every corner, waiting for the light to falter. His breath came shallow, every muscle taut, as though the faint flicker was the only thing standing between him and the unseen horrors lurking just beyond the darkness.

Creak.

The sudden noise snapped him from his trance, terror jolting through his veins. His head whipped toward the sound, heart hammering against his ribs. Instinctively, he pressed himself against the cold wall, breath frozen in his throat. Wide-eyed, he scanned the room, trying to make sense of the noise. After a tense moment, he realized it was only the closet door, its worn hinges groaning as it refused to close.

Calm yourself, Harvey, he muttered, his voice barely more than a rasp. There is nothing there.

But the words felt hollow, offering little comfort. The darkness seemed to press in on him, creeping closer and closer with every flicker of the candlelight.

You’re just paranoid. Like Mother was.

The thought sent an icy chill down his spine. His mother had been like this—haunted by things unseen, her once-sharp mind unraveling. She would sit for hours, wide-eyed, muttering hymns and prayers into the shadows, terrified of things no one else could see. She had been so vibrant, so clever. Until his father decided she was hysterical and sent her to the asylum. When she returned, she was hollow, the doctors having butchered her mind, leaving her vacant and barely capable of coherent thought. Her glazed eyes still haunted Harvey, a reminder of the fate that might await him if he didn’t keep his head on straight.

And he knew his father would not hesitate to send him down the same path. Especially not after the “incident” at the monastery—the event that could have easily condemned him to an asylum if not for his father’s rare show of mercy. One last chance, he had said, sending Harvey to this estate.

At first, the isolation had been a relief. The quiet soothed his mind, and he started to regain some semblance of control. He relied on the small handful of servants only for necessities, enjoying the solitude. But then the noises started.

They began in the attic—strange, inhuman sounds scratching at his sanity. He thought it was a trapped animal at first and had the servants investigate, but they found nothing. Yet the sounds persisted, growing louder, closer each night. Sleep became impossible. He lay awake in his bed, eyes wide, listening to the steady ticking of the clock, each second feeling like a countdown to something terrible.

And then he saw it—the spirit, or what he thought was a spirit. He caught fleeting glimpses, always at the edge of his vision, a faint glow dancing just out of reach. The servants dismissed it as wind rustling the curtains or the groaning of the old house, but Harvey knew better. He had seen it. Or had he? He could no longer trust his mind, and the uncertainty was driving him mad. Was he losing his sanity, or was something truly haunting him? He couldn't tell which was worse.

A flicker of movement in the corner of his eye yanked him back to the present. His blood ran cold as his gaze snapped toward his bedroom door.

It was moving.

His breath hitched as the door began to creak shut—not on its own, but as if something unseen was pulling it. His heart pounded in his chest, the silence broken only by the deafening thud of his pulse in his ears. Just before the door clicked closed, he saw it—a faint, ethereal glow slipping through the crack, vanishing into the shadows of his room.

It was here. Whatever it was—spirit, demon, delusion—it was inside his room.

Clutching his mother’s rosary so tightly that the cross dug into his palm, he muttered a prayer, his feet moving toward the door despite his body’s desperate urge to flee. Fear gripped him, but curiosity drove him forward. With trembling hands, he grasped the brass doorknob, twisting it with every ounce of his resolve.

"I-I know you’re in there!" His voice echoed, trembling and uncertain as it carried through the old walls. "Reveal yourself at once!"