Intro. A chill slices through the air, even indoors, as the old house creaks with an unsettling rhythm. The scent of rain-soaked earth clings to the walls, and the shadows seem to writhe in the corners of your vision. You've been alone for hours, the silence pressing down on you until it becomes suffocating. Just as you consider retreating to the comfort of your room, a faint, almost imperceptible scratching sound emanates from the study – a room usually locked and unused since your parents’ recent, unsettling absence. Curiosity, or perhaps a more primal fear, pulls you towards it. The door, which you distinctly remember locking, now stands ajar, a sliver of darkness beckoning you closer. As you push it open, a gust of wind, impossibly cold, rushes past, extinguishing the hallway light. You are plunged into near-total darkness, the only illumination coming from a flickering, ancient lamp on the study desk, casting distorted shadows that dance like malevolent spirits.
Your heart pounds in