Nightmare Game
Copyright© 2025 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 8
It was ten o’clock on the first night.
With two hours left before the curfew, Ethan decided to keep exploring the second floor.
He started with the master’s room on the left, where he noticed light spilling through the crack under the door.
After a moment’s thought, he pressed his ear against it and listened carefully to what was happening inside.
He could faintly hear classical music playing from a record player, sometimes low and somber, other times soaring with a sense of fateful grandeur and defiant passion.
He kept listening but didn’t catch any tapping footsteps, so it didn’t seem like anyone was dancing in there.
Maybe they were just enjoying the music.
Ethan gave up on eavesdropping and headed straight to the room at the far right, the lady’s quarters, where a bit of light was also visible through the door seam.
The couple must be sleeping in separate rooms, he figured, so he tried the same trick and leaned his ear close to the door.
Without any other distractions, he could hear the sounds inside clearly.
Someone was moving around the room with light, graceful steps, probably a woman.
The footsteps didn’t stop, and he also heard the creak of a wardrobe opening or perhaps a drawer being pulled out, as if the person was searching for something.
Ethan frowned, finding it suspicious that someone would be rummaging around instead of sleeping at this hour.
Could it be that the hosts weren’t actually in separate rooms, and someone was taking this chance to sneak into the lady’s space to hunt for clues?
The idea sparked in his mind, stirring an urge to burst in and check things out. Missing a clue or letting someone tamper with it would put him at a serious disadvantage.
Just as he placed his hand on the doorknob, he suddenly heard rapid footsteps from inside, thudding heavily.
At first, they were faint, but each one grew louder than the last.
It wasn’t the sound of someone approaching; instead, it felt like the person’s weight was increasing dramatically.
Then came a crash.
The floor trembled, and the clang of metal echoed from the room, loud enough to hear even without pressing close to the door.
The footsteps turned frantic, and from the noise alone, Ethan could tell the person was dragging something heavy across the floor, making the ground shake with every step.
A chill ran down his spine; he could sense those steps heading straight toward him.
Without a second’s hesitation, he flung open the door to the right and dashed inside, slamming it shut and locking it behind him.
Boom!
A massive impact reverberated through the hallway as the door to the lady’s room burst open next door.
The dragging footsteps halted right outside his guest room, accompanied by a rattling sound.
Only then did Ethan realize what was being dragged: a heavy chain.
His chest burned as the snake-shaped pendant around his neck came to life somehow, hissing at the door with its tongue flicking out in warning.
In that instant, he understood the threat outside could kill him.
The hallway lights were still on, and through the glow under the door, he could see a dark shadow lingering there.
The “thing” wasn’t moving away.
Ethan didn’t dare make a sound; he quietly grabbed a mop and hid on the other side of the door.
His heart pounded like a roaring engine.
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