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I stepped back from the door, my heart racing.
“How do you know that?” I whispered.
“I told you,” he said. “I lived here.”
The house creaked behind me, a slow, deliberate sound, as if it were listening too.
“I just need you to open the door,” he said. “After that, everything will make sense.”
The Moment Before
My hand hovered over the lock.
I knew—deep down—that once I opened the door, nothing would ever be the same. That whatever stood on the other side would follow me long after this night ended.
I also knew I couldn’t walk away.
Fear and curiosity twisted together inside me, impossible to separate.
“I won’t hurt you,” he said quietly. “But I can’t promise the same for what’s already inside.”
The words echoed through me, settling somewhere deep and uncomfortable.
I took a breath.
And then—
I opened the door.
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