Something's Not Right

After a beat of silence, he cautiously walked toward the staircase, peering up into the dark hallway. The shadow was thick, and the house felt eerily still.

"Hello?" Ace called out, his voice echoing in the empty space.

No response.

Just the quiet hum of the fridge in the kitchen.

His breath released in relief, and he turned back toward the living room, muttering to himself. "Just the house settling… or maybe it's just the pizza I ate earlier."

He walked back to the couch, but just as he was about to sit down, the sound of a door creaking open rang out from upstairs. This time, Ace's heart thudded in his chest.

"Okay, that's... not the wind," he whispered under his breath. He was definitely going to check this out.

Ace slowly tiptoed toward the staircase, his mind racing. Every creak of the floorboards beneath his feet made him wince, as if he were somehow going to alert whoever—or whatever—was up there.

He reached the foot of the stairs and stopped. The house felt strangely colder now. His breath hung in the air, a chill that wasn't there a moment ago. The door upstairs creaked again, followed by a faint shuffling sound.

"Who's there?" Ace called out, his voice slightly shaky, though he was trying to keep it steady.

He closed his eyes, acknowledging the next stupid words that were about leaving his lips.

"Mom? Dad?"

Shit!

No answer. Only the continued shuffling sound, as if someone—or something—was walking around upstairs.

His heart thumped in his chest. He should probably grab his phone or a flashlight, but in that moment, he was too caught up in the strange noises and his growing curiosity. Something didn't sit right, but part of him needed to know what was going on.

He made his way up the stairs slowly, each step feeling heavier than the last. When he reached the top, he froze. The hallway was dark, the lights off, just a sliver of moonlight streaming through the windows. He glanced around, but saw nothing.

The sound stopped too. The silence was almost worse now.

"Okay, this is getting stupid," Ace muttered, trying to convince himself it was all in his head. Maybe the house was just reacting to the cold night air, or maybe he was just too tired from gaming all day.

But just as he was about to turn back, he heard it again—soft, deliberate footsteps. And then, a voice, barely a whisper, but clear enough for him to hear: "Help me…"

Ace's blood ran cold.

That was definitely not his imagination.

Ace stood frozen, his heart pounding in his chest. For a moment, he had convinced himself he heard someone—no, something—whispering to him. But the longer he stood there in the dim hallway, the more he realized the house was eerily still again. No footsteps, no voices.

The only sound that broke the silence was the faint, unsettling whistle of wind blowing through the small gap in the window upstairs.

'Is this some horror reality show and my house was strategically handpicked?' He wondered.

He exhaled, slowly piecing it together. Just the wind, he thought, forcefully convincing himself on that, his shoulders relaxing. The wind must've been pushing through the open window, making those strange noises. It wasn't anything to be afraid of—just the house settling and the draft playing tricks on him.

He turned to head back downstairs, the chill from the wind still hanging in the air.

"Man, I need to stop letting my mind run wild," he muttered to himself. The quiet of the house seemed to mock him now, like it was waiting for him to laugh at himself.

But the chill still lingered, and as he descended the stairs, he couldn't help but glance over his shoulder, just to be sure. The hallway was empty. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Ace made his way back to the couch, shaking his head. "Yeah, okay. Just the wind."

He grabbed his phone, trying to brush off the weird feeling. The house was just... too quiet sometimes. It was a little unsettling, sure, but nothing to worry about.

With a sigh, he settled back down on the couch, flicking through his game apps and trying to forget the strange moment upstairs. "Next time, I'll just play with the volume on," he said, muttering to himself.

–––––––––––

The next morning, Ace woke up to the blaring sound of his alarm, its shrill tone slicing through the peaceful quiet of his room. Groggily, he reached out to turn it off, squinting at the time—7:30 AM.

"Great, I'm late," he muttered to himself. His parents were still away, and he didn't have anyone to rush him out the door. He was used to handling his mornings alone.

He quickly threw off his blanket, rolled out of bed, and stretched his arms. A yawn escaped his mouth as he shuffled toward his dresser. After a few moments of indecision, he grabbed the first shirt he could find, a comfortable black hoodie, and a pair of jeans. He threw everything on quickly, grabbed his backpack, and made his way to the bathroom.

While brushing his teeth, he glanced at the clock. He was already cutting it close.

"Better hurry," he mumbled, rinsing his mouth and running a hand through his messy hair. The cool water had helped shake off the last bits of sleep, and now he was feeling a little more alert.

A quick breakfast was all he had time for—just a bowl of cereal and a hasty gulp of orange juice before he grabbed his shoes and headed out the door.

He ran out of the house, making sure to lock up behind him, and jogged to school, already thinking about the game he'd play later. After all, that was his main goal after school—enjoying his free time in the world of gaming.

Ace arrived at school just in time for the bell, barely making it to his first class. He slipped into his seat and pulled out his notebook, glancing around at the other students. The usual chatter filled the room as everyone settled in for the day, but Ace was barely paying attention. His mind was already elsewhere—thinking about the game he was planning to play after school.

He couldn't help it. Gaming was his thing. It was his escape, his reward for getting through the boring school day. He was already itching to get home and dive back into it, to rack up some points or maybe even enter a tournament.

The teacher began to speak, but Ace's attention wandered. He tuned out the lesson, his eyes flicking toward the clock on the wall. Only a few more hours, he thought. Then I'm free.

He caught Mia glancing over at him from across the room, giving him that knowing smirk. She'd probably picked up on his distracted look by now, but Ace didn't mind. She knew the drill—he was a gamer, and that meant his brain was always half in the virtual world.

The bell rang for the next class, pulling him out of his thoughts. As he packed up his things, he couldn't help but feel the familiar buzz of anticipation. Soon, school would be over, and he'd be home again, back in his zone. Just a few more hours.

"See you after class?" Mia asked as Ace stood up, ready to head to his next subject.

"Yeah," he said with a nod. "Later."

The rest of the day passed in a blur. He barely remembered anything from the classes, his thoughts drifting to what awaited him after school. Finally, the bell rang, signaling the end of the day.

Ace practically sprinted home, eager to get back to his own space. The walk was familiar, but today it felt like it dragged on forever. All he could think about was what game he'd dive into first. Maybe he'd try out that new strategy game he'd downloaded last night. Or perhaps he'd do a few practice rounds before entering a tournament.

As he approached his house, the familiar quietness greeted him. No sound of his parents' voices—just the soft hum of the refrigerator and the occasional creak of the house settling.

He unlocked the door and stepped inside, kicking off his shoes. The house felt oddly still, but he brushed it off. He wasn't in the mood to overthink things today.

Heading straight to his room, Ace threw his backpack on the bed and immediately grabbed his gaming headset. He plugged it in, turned on his computer, and sat down in his chair. The screen lit up, welcoming him into the world he had been looking forward to all day.

His fingers hovered over the mouse, ready to dive into the game. He clicked through the menus, his focus narrowing as he started to get into the groove of things. The world around him disappeared as the digital universe enveloped him. He was back where he belonged—focused, determined, and ready to play.

But as the minutes passed, Ace couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. It was subtle at first—like the faint hum of electricity in the air—but it quickly grew. His room, once a safe and familiar place, suddenly felt… colder. He glanced around, but there was nothing unusual. Still, the unsettling feeling persisted.

Shaking his head, Ace tried to push it aside. It's probably just the tiredness catching up with me, he reasoned. But as he settled back into his chair and clicked to start a new game, the feeling didn't go away. Something was definitely off.

Just as Ace settled into the game, trying to shake off the odd sensation that lingered, his phone buzzed on the desk. He picked it up, half-expecting a notification or maybe a random message, but it was Mia.

"Hey, can I come over?" the text read.

Ace blinked at the screen. It wasn't unusual for Mia to ask to come by, but the timing felt a little strange today. He quickly typed back, "Sure, what's up?"

Her reply came almost immediately. "Just thought I'd hang out, maybe play something. I know you've been busy with school, but you might need a break."

Ace chuckled at her message.

"She knows me too well," he laughed, shaking his head.

Busy with school she said. He wasn't going to turn down a chance to hang out, especially when it meant some company in his quiet house. Besides, it'd be nice to have someone to distract him from that weird feeling that had been creeping him out all day.

"Alright, come on over," he typed. "I'll be waiting."

He put the phone down, then leaned back in his chair. The room still felt off, but Mia's presence would help. He'd probably be too distracted to worry about anything once she got there.

A few minutes later, he heard the familiar sound of the front door opening and closing. Mia's voice echoed from the hallway, calling out, "Ace, you here?"

"In my room!" Ace called back, already standing up to greet her.

Mia appeared in the doorway a moment later, wearing her usual easy smile. "What's up, gamer boy?" she teased, noticing the game paused on the screen.

"Just trying to escape reality," Ace replied, grinning back at her. "You know, the usual."

"Well," Mia said, stepping further into the room, "I'm here to make sure you don't get too lost in that world." She flopped down on the bed. "So, what's the plan? More gaming, or are we doing something less... dangerous?"

Ace laughed, feeling the tension in the room start to ease. "Honestly, I'm just here to chill. Maybe we can try out that co-op game I mentioned."

As Mia kicked her shoes off and made herself comfortable, Ace couldn't shake the odd feeling that still clung to him. But with Mia here, at least he had something else to focus on. He just hoped it was nothing... and that his weird mood would disappear once he was back in his element.

Mia grinned. "Sounds good to me. I could use a break from all the school drama."

Ace fired up the game, his fingers quickly navigating through the settings as he selected the co-op mode. "Alright, let's see if we can make it through without you getting us both killed."

"Hey, I'm a pro at this," Mia shot back, playfully nudging him as she sat next to him on the bed. "You're just mad because I always end up saving your ass."

Ace rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the grin that followed. "Sure, if by 'saving my ass,' you mean running off without me and getting caught every five minutes."

They both laughed, the tension in the room fading with the familiar banter. As they played through the levels, they fell into the rhythm of the game, their focus shifting to strategy, teamwork, and the occasional friendly bickering over who made the best move.

For a while, everything felt normal again. The strange feeling that had been hanging over Ace all afternoon seemed to vanish into the background, drowned out by the excitement of the game and Mia's presence.

But as the game progressed, Ace couldn't ignore the nagging sense that something wasn't quite right. It wasn't the game—it was the house. The air felt too still, too quiet. It was as if the walls were holding their breath, waiting for something.

Mia noticed his distraction. "Hey, what's up? You've barely said anything for the past few minutes."

Ace blinked, realizing he had zoned out again. "Sorry. Just... thinking about something weird."

"Like what?" Mia asked, raising an eyebrow.