Chapter 2
The night was still as the five friends were asleep.
They decided to sleep in the same room, as Emily was too scared to stay away from her friends.
"You're such a pússy", Sarah laughed.
Emily rolled her eyes and tightened her hold on the flashlight.
"Night guys!", Adam voiced.
The others groaned in response and fell asleep.
---
Sarah shot up, her hands frantically searching for her flashlight.
She pointed it around, the light bringing out an eery glow in the dark room.
"Guys.. I had a bad dream".
She turned to the others, but froze when she realised no one was near her.
For a moment, she lay still, her senses slowly coming to life. The air was cold and musty, and a shiver ran down her spine.
"Guys?" Sarah's voice quivered as she called out, but her words echoed into the silence.
No response came, only the faint rustling of curtains in the breeze.
Panic crept into her chest as she stumbled out of bed, her footsteps echoing through the empty halls.
"Emily? Jacob? Lily? Adam?" Each name hung in the air, unanswered.
The house seemed to groan in response, its ancient timbers creaking as if whispering secrets.
Sarah clutched her flashlight tightly, its beam cutting through the darkness like a feeble lifeline.
She moved cautiously, her eyes darting from one shadowy corner to another.
As she explored room after room, a sense of dread settled over her.
The once-familiar surroundings felt alien, and the silence weighed heavily on her ears.
Every creak of the floorboards sent her heart racing, and her mind conjured terrifying images in the absence of her friends.
A sudden draft made the candle flames flicker, casting dancing shadows on the walls.
Sarah's breath caught in her throat. She followed the draft to a slightly ajar door at the end of the hallway.
With trembling hands, she pushed it open.
Beyond the door was a room draped in darkness, the windows boarded up, allowing only slivers of pale light to seep through the gaps.
Sarah's flashlight revealed old furniture draped in dusty sheets, and in the center of the room, a faded portrait hung crookedly on the wall.
She approached the portrait, her flashlight trembling in her grip.
It depicted a family, their faces obscured by the passage of time.
But what sent a chill down Sarah's spine was the uncanny resemblance between the figures in the portrait and her friends.
The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning - they were not alone in the house.
A cold breeze brushed against her neck, and Sarah spun around, her flashlight illuminating the room.
The dust motes danced in the beam of light, but there was no sign of her friends.
"Where are you?" Sarah's voice wavered, her words hanging in the air, unanswered and lost in the haunting silence of the mansion.