Teaser: The Twisted Lady

What a weird dream. James took a deep breath to bring his heartbeat back to a slower pace and lay back down. His side was sore from sleeping on the floor, so he stayed on his back, staring at the ceiling.

A scraping noise, loud and sharp, echoed in the house, followed by a slow creaking.

He turned his head to the side and stared at the hallway, holding his breath and straining to listen. The pale strands of light had shifted, slightly seeping through the hallway leading to the front door. In the middle of it, a door stood open. He hadn’t seen it before. The place had been too dark, and he had settled in the living room pretty fast.

Thing is, the door opened outward, which means he should have seen it when entering the house, as it would have stood in his way. He just couldn’t have missed it.

It’s an old house. The doors probably don’t close well, and this one opened on its own with the breeze.

As much as he repeated this to himself, he couldn’t avert his gaze from the blackness of that open room. It seemed to stare back, as if beckoning him into its gaping mouth.

Falling asleep now seemed impossible. Not with this door open. It was stupid and childish, but James rose and crossed the living room to close the door, cursing himself. He peered into the space, but the darkness was thick and impenetrable. Stale, cold air came out of it, biting at his skin, and he quickly shut the door, making sure the latch clicked.

Breathing a little easier, he went back to his uncomfortable sleeping spot and laid his head on his duffel bag again, closing his eyes and actively ignoring the diverse creaking noises the house made.

Something shuffled.

It’s just the house, ignore it.

A rasping, gurgling noise sent his heartbeat into overdrive.

“R… Raw… Robert…”

James shot upright and stared at the twisted shape crawling at his feet. His heart crept in his throat. The thing let out a grotesque, inhuman sob and scurried onto him, cold fingers digging into his legs.