The Room That Should Have Been Empty
The hallway felt colder than the rest of the house.
Not dramatically.
Not in a way you could easily explain.
But enough that both men noticed.
Enough that one of them rubbed his arms and muttered, “Feels strange back here.”
The other didn’t answer.
He was already moving toward the small storage room at the end of the hall.
The one nobody had opened since the wake began.
The door was slightly ajar.
Just enough to notice.
Not enough to ignore.
They stopped in front of it.
Looked at each other.
Neither wanted to be the first.
Finally, the taller one pushed it open.
Slowly.
The hinges groaned.
Inside…
Darkness.
Thick.
Still.
Like the room itself was holding its breath.
“Turn on the light,” one whispered.
The switch clicked.
And everything changed.
Because the room…
Wasn’t empty.
There, on the small wooden table near the back wall…
Sat a box.
Old.
Metal.
Decorated with intricate carvings.
The kind of box that didn’t belong in a storage room.
The kind of box that looked like it had been waiting.
Both men stepped inside.
Carefully.
“Was this here before?” one asked.
The other shook his head slowly.
“I don’t think so…”
They approached it.
Closer.
Closer.
The carvings weren’t random.
They looked deliberate.
Symbols.
Patterns.
Something ancient.
Or at least… something pretending to be.
There was no lock.
Just a lid.
Slightly raised.
As if it hadn’t been fully closed.
“Should we—”
Before he could finish…
A sound came from inside.
Not loud.
Not sharp.
But unmistakable.
A soft… tapping.
Both men froze.
“Did you hear that?”
“Yes.”
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
From inside the box.
Their breathing slowed.
Eyes locked on it.
Neither one moved.
Because neither one wanted to be the one to open it.
Back in the living room…
Camila suddenly sat up.
Fast.
Her eyes wide for the first time.
“He found it,” she whispered.
Her mother turned sharply. “Who found what?!”
Camila didn’t answer.
She climbed out of the casket.
For the first time since the wake began.
Feet hitting the floor.
Steady.
Certain.
“I have to go.”
“Camila, wait—!”
But she was already moving.
Toward the hallway.
Toward the room.
Toward something no one else understood.
And behind her…
The entire house began to follow.
To be continued in Part 04
