The darkness swallowed me as soon as I crossed the threshold, so thick and cold it felt like wading through ice. The whispers grew louder, an endless litany of bròken voices, their words fragmented and layered, until they dissolved into a guttural, choked laughter that clawed at my sanity.
The familiar hallway had transformed, twisting and stretching, every surface marred with evil symbols that pulsed faintly as if alive. Shadows danced across the walls, forming grotesque shapes that seemed to watch me with hollow, hungry eyes.
My stomach lurched as I realized they were shifting faces, faces of those who had bròken the vow before me. I staggered forward, my hand brushing the wall, and it felt warm, like flesh, pulsing beneath my fingertips.
“Nora?” I whispered, though I didn’t expect an answer. She was gone, dissolved into this living nightmare that surrounded me. But the shadows twisted at the sound of her name, a distorted silhouette creeping forward with her mocking smile, her voice whispering in a dozen overlapping tones.
“They’re waiting for you,” she cooed, gesturing toward the dim doorway to the living room. “It’s only right...