Emma knew she had to find a way out before the mansion claimed her soul like it had with the others. The hallway she found herself in was narrow and winding, with doors on either side, each one leading to an unknown horror.
The oppressive silence was broken only by her ragged breaths
and the faint creaking of the floorboards beneath her feet.
She chose a door at random, hoping it would lead her closer
to an exit. The room beyond was empty except for a single, large portrait
hanging on the wall.
The painting depicted a stern-looking man in old-fashioned
clothing, his eyes seemingly following her every move. There was something
disturbingly familiar about him, and as Emma stared, the man’s expression
seemed to shift, a cruel smile playing on his lips.
A sudden noise behind her made Emma spin around. The door
she had entered through was gone, replaced by a blank wall. Panic surged
through her, but she forced herself to stay calm. This house was playing tricks
on her, trying to break her spirit, but she wouldn’t let it.
She approached the portrait cautiously, noticing a small,
almost hidden latch at its base. With trembling hands, she pulled it, and the
painting swung open, revealing a narrow passageway behind it.
Without hesitation, Emma stepped inside, the walls of the
passage closing in around her as she made her way through the darkness.
The passage twisted and turned, leading her deeper into the
bowels of the mansion. The air grew colder, and a sense of dread settled over
her, but she pressed on, determined to escape. Finally, she emerged into a
large, cavernous room, the ceiling so high it disappeared into the shadows.
In the center of the room stood a massive stone altar,
covered in strange, glowing symbols. Surrounding it were the same shadowy
figures she had seen in the mirror—Lily and the others, their eyes hollow, their
bodies stiff and unnatural.
They stood in a circle, chanting in a language she didn’t
understand, their voices rising and falling in a haunting melody.
Emma’s heart pounded in her chest as she realized what was
happening. The mansion wasn’t just haunted; it was a trap, a place of dark
rituals and sacrifices. And she was the final piece of the puzzle, the last
offering to whatever malevolent force resided within its walls.
Summoning all her courage, Emma backed away, searching for
another exit. But the figures turned to face her, their chanting growing
louder, more intense. The symbols on the altar began to glow brighter, pulsing
with a sinister energy.
Desperate, Emma turned and ran, her only thought to escape
the horror that was closing in on her. She found another door and threw it
open, sprinting down the corridor beyond. The mansion seemed to shift around
her, the walls narrowing, the floor slanting, as if trying to trap her once again.
But she didn’t stop. She ran faster, her breath coming in
gasps, her heart pounding in her ears. The chanting followed her, echoing
through the halls, growing fainter as she put more distance between herself and
the altar.
Finally, she saw it—a window, the first one she had seen
since she had entered the mansion. Without a second thought, she lunged for it,
throwing it open and climbing out into the cool night air.
The drop to the ground was steep, but she didn’t care. She
jumped, landing hard but unharmed on the soft earth below.
Emma scrambled to her feet, glancing back at the mansion one
last time. The house loomed in the darkness, its windows glowing with an eerie
light, as if it were alive, watching her escape.
She turned and ran, not stopping until the mansion was far
behind her, nothing more than a dark silhouette against the night sky.
She didn’t stop until she reached her car, her hands
trembling as she fumbled with the keys. She had escaped the mansion, but the
memory of what had happened there would haunt her forever.
As she drove away, the dark silhouette of the Wycliffe
Mansion faded into the distance, but the whispers in her mind told her that it
was far from over.
The mansion had let her go, but it was still out there,
waiting for its next victim. And deep down, Emma knew that someday, it would
come for her again.