silence below. It was like the house had swallowed her whole. He pressed his ear to the floorboards. Nothing. Not even footsteps. Just an unsettling stillness, thic

the room lay the wooden box from the kitchen, now open and empty. "Anna?" His voice was smaller now. Then he heard it-a breath. Not his. Not Anna's. Something wet and rasping. He swung the light around, and his heart froze. Anna stood facing the far wall. Her back was to him. Perfectly still. "Anna...?" No answer. He stepped closer. "Hey. You scared the hell out of me. What are you-" She turned. But it wasn't fully her. Her face was pale, eyes wide and unfocused, her lips moving but no sound coming out. In her hands, she clutched the blood-stained necklace, fingers tight around the chain. "Anna, talk to me." Her head tilted, slow and unnatural. "It spoke," she whispered. Luke felt the floor sway beneath him. "What spoke?" "The blood." Her voice was hollow. "It remembers us. It knows our names." He grabbed her arm. Her skin was ice-cold. "We need to leave. Now." But Anna shook her head slowly. "It's too late." Suddenly, every light in the basement exploded. The flashlight cracked in Luke's hand, plunging them into darkness. A deep rumble echoed from the earth below, like something ancient turning over in its sleep. Then came the whisper-not from Anna, but from every inch of the basement. A voice that sounded like it had been scraped from bones. "One must remain." Luke felt something brush his ankle. He jumped back, dragging Anna with him. "Upstairs. Now!" They ran, tripping on the uneven steps, the darkness clawing at their heels. Luke slammed the basement door shut, his breath ragged. He locked it. And then, without warning, t