Ginger stepped into a rustic office, the door clicking shut behind him. He looked around the room, stopping on the leather armchair by the fireplace. The room was eerily quiet except for the storm raging outside. Rain rapped against the windows, and the soft crackle of the fireplace filled the room.

He hesitated for a moment. A crack of thunder interrupts the quiet causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. For a moment, it felt like he wasn’t alone. He shrugged it off, and sank down into the armchair. 

The steady ticking of the grandfather clock punctuated the silence; its hands glinted in the shifting light of the fire. 

On the table next to the chair sat a simple leather-bound tome, its cover was weathered and corners well-worn with age and use. A simple golden clasp held it shut, sparkling in the firelight.  

The grandfather clock began to ring its deep resonating toll signaling it was midnight. Ginger steadied his breathing. Reaching out, he undid the golden clasp. It opened with a satisfying and quiet click and he flipped it open the first page. 

Clearing his throat, he began to read aloud, 

Our story begins where most others end:

On a dark, winding road through the woods on a cold, lonely Halloween night; Jesse squinted through the windshield, straining to see the road through the sleet and snow. It took every ounce of concentration to keep control of the vehicle on the icy roads.

Beside him, Maya struggled with an ancient and worn map of the area. She ran her finger along a crease under the dim overhead light trying to find the road they were on. The constant bickering of two old partners, the age of the map and the remoteness of the area culminated in their current predicament; they were stuck, and not only stuck but lost as well. 

Jesse smacked the wheel of the car with his palms in frustration. “Well, you’ve really done us in this time Maya. We are fucked. F. U. C. K - Fucked. There’s no way we are making it up that hill until the snow clears. And since you insisted on us crossing that ‘totally drivable bridge.’ We can’t even turn back and go back the way we came!” 

Maya, peered over the top of the map with a flat expression. “Dude. You have GOT to chill out sometimes. It’s not even that big of a deal, my guy.” She rolled her eyes at Jesse and began folding the map. “There should be a house nearby. It’s right here on the map. We can just go over there, see if they have a phone we can use to call a tow truck. Worst case, the house will be abandoned and we’ll camp out until the morning.” 

Jesse sat stunned. He was in disbelief as Maya continued to relay her master ‘plan’ to him. Jesse held up his hand interrupting Maya. 

“So let me get this straight. You saw a house on some ancient map you found; you think this house still exists AND you want to go find it and stay there? You do realize we are in the middle of a freakin’ storm don’t you? And you just want us to wander to some old creepy house and just… ‘camp out’? I just really want to make sure I’m understanding your great plan.” 

“Yeah dude.” Maya scoffed and shrugged unfazed. “You got a better idea?” 

Jesse let out a long frustrated sigh. Shaking his head in disbelief. “Fine. Whatever.” Cutting off the engine and shoving the keys into his jacket pocket. “But if that place turns out to be haunted or full of hillbilly murderers. I’m giving you up for sure.” 

Maya grinned, “Noted.” 

Jesse glanced out the windshield at the dense snow drifts. The idea of trekking out through a storm, into a dark forest to some unknown house didn’t fill him with confidence, but the alternative; freezing to death in the car all night, wasn’t looking too much better. If… the house existed, it might be warm and offer them a better chance. With great reluctance, Jesse sighed and pulled on the handle, opening the door and stepping out into the snow. 

It felt like they had walked for miles. Even Maya’s unwavering confidence began to crumble under the cold weight of the snow sapping their warmth and energy. Jesse was on the verge of insisting they turn back when they finally saw it: a dilapidated house emerging from the woods, almost entirely consumed by nature. 

They approached an archway with a rusted, wrought-iron gate, the hinges creaked as they pushed through. Oil lamps hung by chains on either side of an imposing oak double door, swinging coldly in the icy wind. 

Exhausted, soaked and freezing Jesse and Maya pushed against the heavy oak door. To their surprise it creaked open into a small, empty foyer. The chamber was sparsely furnished, except for a shield on the wall that was emblazoned with a goat on a ship in a turbulent red ocean. Opposite the entrance was another door leading further into the house. 

Jesse paused, and furrowed his brow as he tried to get Maya attention with a wary glance. Maya could see the unmistakable look of fear welling up in his eyes. She placed a reassuring hand on his arm and whispered, “Just relax, dude. It’ll be fine.” 

Taking a deep breath, Maya reached out and pushed open the interior door. It creaked open on water warped hinges, and she led the way into what appeared to be the main hall. The space ran the width of the house, featuring a white marble fireplace at one end and an imposing black marble spiral staircase at the other. Several other doors branched off into darkness, but the immediate concern was the warm glow of fire crackling in the fireplace; meaning they weren’t alone in this place. 

Jesse shot Maya a look that could pierce steel, his concern growing at the realization. Maya, however, seemed unfazed by this revelation. She continued to move cautiously through the house, crossing the room to another door. She slowly opened it just enough to peek inside. 

The wood paneled room resembled an old hunter’s den. A bear’s head was mounted above another lit fireplace, while several stag heads stared lifelessly from the walls. In the center of the room stood a carved mahogany table, surrounded by several high back chairs casting shadows around the room. . 

Pungent sticks of incense burned around the room, the thick smoke coiled up towards the partially collapsed chimney. At the table sat an old woman, her once finely crafted clothes now frayed and weathered by time. The woman faced the fire, staring intently at a human skull clutched in her outstretched hand. Without turning, she raised a boney finger in the air, signaling silence.

“Now tell me, children,” the words twisted from her smooth yet unsettling voice, “what brings you so deep into the woods on a night like tonight?”

Another crack of thunder rattled the house, and a bright, piercing light radiated from outside, illuminating the room. “The storm knows you’ve come; there will be no leaving here tonight. Isn’t it so lovely? Guests are so rare these days.” She paused once again as a howling wind picked up outside, thick fog began shrouding the windows. “Ahhhh,” the old woman croaked, a crooked smile forming on her withered face, revealing blackened, broken teeth. “I guess you’ll be staying then.” 

Finding his courage, Jesse blurted out, breaking the silence. “Wha-Wha-What is this place? Who the hell are you? What the fuck is going on-” 

Maya swiftly struck Jesse’s arm, cutting him off and pulling him back from the edge of panic. Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, her voice steady. “Uh, sorry to just barge into your house, ma’am. My name is Maya, and this is Jesse. I’m, uh.. a freelance journalist. Someone sent me this old map, and well… I’m sorry to put this on you but like we’re lost and cold and this place is just really weird ya know?” 

Maya glanced at Jesse, nudging him to speak. “Oh, uh yeah. Hi. My name is Jesse, I’m uh, a paramedic, I guess? I don’t really know what we’re doing here but if you have, like, a phone we can use or something…?” 

They exchange anxious glances, waiting for a reply that never came. Maya, driven by curiosity, boldness and growing hint of desperation, slowly reached out to touch the old woman’s clothes. But the moment her fingers brushed the fabric she recoiled in shock. The woman collapsed, disintegrating into a pile of bones before their eyes, revealing she has long since been dead and decayed. 

Panic surged through them as Maya and Jesse stumbled back, tripping over one another in a frantic attempt to escape. They burst into the main hall, unsure of what just happened. 

Stunned, they stood side by side in silence, staring at the door they had just fled through. It felt like an eternity before they finally exhaled in uncertain relief. 

After a few more tense moments Maya let out a stifled chuckle. “Well that was weird...” she laughed nervously. “Maybe we should check upstairs?” 

Jesse continued to stare at her Shaking his head to snap back to reality as he grabbed her hand. “Upstairs?! Are you nuts? I don’t know what the hell is going on here, but this is NOT okay, Maya! We gotta get the fuck out of here… NOW!” 

Maya yanked her hand free, her stress clearly beginning to show. “And go where exactly? I’m not sure if you’ve noticed. The storm is getting worse, and there’s absolutely zero chance we’re gonna find our way back to the car. The way I see it, we don’t have a choice,” Maya pointed towards the black marble staircase, “So, I’m going upstairs. You can either come with me or stay here, it's up to you bud.” 

With that, Maya turned toward the spiral staircase leading to the second floor. Jesse watched as she began to climb the stairs. Torn between his instincts to flee and the need to stay close to her. “Maya!” he called after her. “Wait for me!” 

Maya and Jesse climbed the black marble staircase, the steps groaned beneath their weight. The next floor was in a worse state of disrepair. A large section of the roof had caved in, and trees twisted through the cracks. The scent of wet wood and decay carried on the cold biting air. 

Mounted on the wall of this once elegant hall was an unlit oil lamp, dulled and scuffed with age. Nearby, hanging just beyond the worst of the weather’s reach, was a simple wooden framed portrait of a family: a father, mother and two small children, all smiling. 

“Hey, come check this out,” Maya whispered, beckoning Jesse up from the stairs, where he lingered cowering on the last step. Jesse summoned his courage and shuffled forward onto the landing.

Maya pulled a lighter from her jacket pocket. Holding it to the lamp, the oil ignited, casting a dim, flickering light. With the assistance of the light she spotted another swollen wooden door at the end of the hall. 

“Come on,” Maya urged with a hushed excitement. Without waiting, she pushed on the door, straining against the water warped wood. It groaned under the pressure but finally gave way, opening with a halting creak into a large bedroom.

Burgundy drapes hung over the broken windows, fluttering as the wind slipped through. The room was icy, making it feel unwelcoming and inhospitable. The furniture inside, though elegant, had not escaped the slow march of time. A large four-poster bed sat at the center, its curtains torn. Matching wardrobes stood on either side, and a vanity held a small jewelry box with its lid slightly ajar and contents spilling out. 

Above the cold fireplace, a portrait of a man and woman stared down at the bed. 

Maya stood in the center of the room, surveying. “Well, I guess it’s better than nothing right?” she said with a grin, breaking the silence. 

Jesse sighed and stood with arms crossed, “You can not be serious Maya! You want to try and stay here still? This place is absolutely fucked. We gotta -”

Maya cut him off with a harsh shush. “Dude, you already know we don’t have another choice. The storm isn’t getting any better, and we’ll freeze out there if we leave.” She motioned towards the cold, empty fireplace. “So shut up; quit being a bitch and get a fire going before we both freeze.” 

Jesse threw up in his hands in frustration. “Fine. Whatever. I swear you’re gonna get us killed.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say buddy,” she responded dismissively, already rifling through the wardrobe. 

Jesse knelt by the fireplace, scraping away years of ash and soot, muttering under his breath. Everything in him told him they needed to leave; risk the storm, find the car, and just wait it out. But instead, he reached for the damp logs stacked nearby, determined to get the fire started. He needed the warmth of a fire, hoping it would bring back a semblance of security and control. 

The wet logs were hard to ignite, and with only a few small pieces of kindling it wasn’t going to be easy. Jesse kept at it, searching around the area for anything he could use as additional fuel. Luckily, his outdoor experience paid off and he was able to get the fire going, spreading the warm glow throughout the room. 

Maya was now sitting on the bed thumbing through an old worn diary she found in one of the wardrobes. The diary must have belonged to one of the people in the portraits. It recounted the family’s story - their move to this place, the birth of their children but many entries were either ripped out or dark black charcoal lines were scratched into the pages. 

Maya flipped through the remaining pages to a final entry, written frantically in a strange red ink:

“Whatever you do, don’t listen to the children.” 

Before Maya could think about what she just read, a faint rhythmic creaking caught her attention. A rocking chair in the corner began moving slowly on its own, back and forth, as if caught in the howling wind.

Just then, she felt the sensation of a hand touching her shoulder. She jumped letting out a high pitched yelp. 

“Jesus, Maya!” Jesse recoiled his hand from her. “I didn’t mean to scare you, but you didn’t need to give me a heart attack!”  Jesse put a hand to his chest trying to slow his heartbeat. 

Maya sat unmoving with her eyes fixed on the now slowing rocking chair. 

“I got the fire started. What’s with the book? Did you find anything interesting?” 

Maya shook herself free from his fixation. “Oh.. Yeah, nothing really interesting. Just some weird old diary, and some jewelry. Some of it actually looks pretty nice.” She pointed towards the open jewelry box. “It’s weird that nobody has ever come back looking for this stuff.” 

Jesse dropped himself heavily onto the bed next to her. “Not that weird. This place looks like it's been abandoned for years. This place isn’t exactly a Holiday Inn is it now? 

Jesse sighed, relaxing into the bed. “I still can’t believe you got me out here, following some stupid map to nowhere. You really owe me one after this crap.”

Maya gave him a crooked smile. “Yeah, yeah. You’ll survive. And when I have never gotten you back?” 

The pair sat in comfortable silence for a moment with the fire crackling softly in the background. But the comfort was short lived, and even the warmth of the fire did little to offset the uneasiness of the room. As he scanned the room his eyes drifted towards the slowly rocking chair. 

“You can see that thing moving, right?” Jesse asked in barely a whisper. 

“Yeah… I do.” Maya responded with far less confidence than before. Sitting up, she scanned the room looking for anything out of place. “It’s probably just the wind.” 

“Sure. Just the wind.” Jesse forced himself to nod, despite the doubt boiling over inside him. 

Several tense hours had passed since Maya and Jesse had entered the house. The howling wind outside had faded into background noise for the crackling fire. Just as the pair had begun to feel more comfortable with the space, a cold chill swept through the room. The sudden cold sent a shiver down their spines. Immediately noticed that the chair in the corner of the room suddenly stopped rocking. Jesse felt the warmth drain from his face when he heard something coming from outside the room. 

It was quiet at first, barely audible over the howl of the wind, but as they sat and listened it became more and more unmistakable. Haunting, soft voices, singing out of tune; each voice slightly out of sync and faltering. 

Jesse was the first to break the silence, his eye wide and full of fear. “NOPE. Nope. Fuck no. We are done here, Maya. Time to go.” He was on his feet in an instant and moving towards the window. He peered outside into the storm, hopeful that it may have let up some. “We gotta leave. I’ll take my chance in the storm. There is absolutely no shot I’m staying here another second.” 

Maya hadn’t moved. She sat in stunned silence, her mind was racing. She stared blankly at Jesse, but was unable to process his words. He was up on his feet gesturing wildly. She could see the terror and urgency in his actions, but found herself unable to focus on his words. 

Her mind was stuck on something she thought she heard, but wasn’t possible. She could feel her heart drop into a pit when it happened again, much more clearly this time. A giggle at first, barely audible and distorted, but becoming increasingly sinister.

And then they heard a voice, so close it seemed to be coming from just outside the door.

“We love playing with new friends. You’ll stay forever, right?”

Maya turned to Jesse and they locked eyes, an immediate and unspoken understanding. They both heard it, the rustling of the door handle, the deep groan from the door as it slowly swung open on ancient weathered hinges. A bloodcurdling scream and then nothing. The house fell back into its eerie stillness. 

And above the now dead fireplace, a portrait of Jesse and Maya stared down at the bed.