The Invitation (s1 ep1)

Brayden adjusted his jacket, feeling the familiar comfort of its worn fabric against his chest. He'd been on edge ever since the strange invitation had arrived in the mail, with no return address and only his name scrawled on the envelope. His curiosity got the better of him, and now he was here, standing before an ancient mansion that looked like it hadn't been touched since the 1950s.

The air was thick with tension as he approached the front door. A shiver ran down his spine as he noticed the other three teens standing nearby. Winter, a girl with dark hair and a distant expression, glanced at Brayden but quickly looked away. Autumn, with their androgynous appearance, fiddled with a bracelet, seeming to avoid eye contact with everyone. Sam, a girl with short blonde hair, looked at the mansion with a mix of fear and excitement. None of them knew each other, but they were all drawn here by the same mysterious message.

"Did you all get one of these?" Brayden asked, holding up his invitation.

The others nodded silently, each holding a similar piece of paper. There was an unspoken understanding that something wasn't right, but they were all too curious to walk away now.

With a deep breath, Brayden pushed open the heavy front door. It creaked loudly, as if protesting their entry. Inside, the mansion was dark, lit only by the weak glow of an old chandelier hanging in the foyer. Dust covered every surface, and the air was stale, as if the house had been sealed for decades.

"Why would someone invite us here?" Winter asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"I don't know," Autumn replied, their voice steady but laced with unease. "But we should stick together."

The group moved deeper into the mansion, their footsteps echoing off the walls. Every creak of the floorboards and rustle of the wind outside made them jumpy. They came across a grand staircase, its banister polished but eerily cold to the touch.

As they climbed the stairs, Brayden felt a growing sense of dread. The house felt wrong, like it was watching them, waiting for them to make a mistake. When they reached the top, they found themselves in a long hallway lined with doors, each one slightly ajar.

"This place gives me the creeps," Sam muttered, rubbing her arms as if trying to shake off the cold.

"Let's just find out what's going on and get out of here," Brayden said, trying to keep his voice steady.

But deep down, he knew that leaving might not be so simple.