The Door That Vanishes

Chapter 2

The moment they stepped through the front door, the air grew colder. Wilson shivered and glanced back, but the streetlights from the village already seemed miles away, swallowed by the darkness surrounding the house.

Inside, the floor creaked beneath their feet. A faint smell of mildew mixed with something metallic hung in the air.

"This place is a dump," Condo muttered, kicking a broken chair leg aside. "Not exactly the haunted mansion I was expecting."

Damsel shone her flashlight around the room, revealing cracked walls, faded wallpaper, and a staircase that spiraled into shadow. "You just lack imagination," she teased.

Wilson stayed quiet, his eyes scanning every corner. Something felt wrong-off, even. The house seemed to breathe around them, the walls pulsing faintly as if they had veins beneath the plaster.

Adrian tapped Wilson's shoulder. "We shouldn't be here long. Let's just look around and leave."

Wilson nodded. "Good idea."

But when they turned back toward the door, it was gone.

"What the...?" Condo stammered, spinning around. The door they'd entered through wasn't just closed-it wasn't there at all. Instead, the wall was solid, seamless, as if it had always been that way.

"I swear it was here," Wilson said, his voice shaking.

Adrian ran his hands along the wall, searching for cracks or seams. "No way. It's a trick. It has to be."

Damsel bit her lip, her bravado slipping for the first time. "Okay... maybe this isn't funny anymore."

Then, from somewhere deeper in the house, they heard it. A soft creak of footsteps.

All four froze, their eyes wide as they stared into the dark hallway ahead.

"Probably just the wind," Condo whispered, though his voice trembled.

The footsteps grew louder, deliberate, as if someone-or something-was approaching.

"Run," Wilson said, his voice barely above a whisper.

They bolted up the staircase, their footsteps echoing in the vast, empty house. Wilson's heart pounded as they reached the second floor, where a long hallway stretched out before them, lined with doors.

"Pick one!" Damsel shouted, throwing open the nearest door. Inside was a room filled with antique furniture covered in dusty sheets.

"Barricade the door!" Adrian ordered as they all rushed inside.

Wilson shoved a heavy dresser in front of the door while the others piled chairs and boxes. They all stood back, panting, as the sound of footsteps stopped just outside.

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then, a knock.

Three slow, deliberate knocks.

"Who's there?" Damsel called out, her voice shaking.

No answer. The doorknob began to twist, slow and deliberate.

Adrian grabbed Wilson's arm. "We have to keep moving. We can't stay here."

But before they could act, the knocking stopped. When Wilson turned to the others, he saw their faces pale with terror.

"Wilson..." Condo whispered, pointing behind him.

He turned, and his blood ran cold.

The dresser, the barricade-they were gone. The door stood wide open.