Chapter Three: The Whisper in the Dark

My fingers hovered over the closet handle, my entire body frozen with tension. The air in the room felt heavy, charged with something unnatural. Every rational part of my brain screamed:

Turn around. Get back in bed. Pretend this never happened.

But let's be honest—curiosity always wins.

I took a deep breath, wrapped my fingers around the cold metal handle, and pulled.

Nothing.

The door didn't move.

I frowned, trying again—harder. But it stayed shut.

As if something was holding it from the inside.

A chill crawled up my spine.

And then—the whisper came again.

"Iris… don't be afraid."

No. Nope. Absolutely not.

My heart pounded so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. I stumbled back, pulse racing.

"Who's there?" I whispered, barely recognizing my own voice.

Silence.

The kind of silence that presses against your ears, thick and suffocating. The whisper was gone, but the feeling? Still there.

Then, just as I started convincing myself that this was all in my head—

A soft knock came from inside the closet.

Not loud. Not aggressive. Just… a light tap. Like it was waiting.

I didn't stick around to find out.

Nope. I bolted straight for my bed, yanked the covers over my head, and squeezed my eyes shut.

This isn't happening. This isn't real.

I repeated it over and over, but deep down?

I knew the truth.

Something was in my room.

And it wanted me to open that door.

To be continued…