They moved toward the house in silence.
Every step uphill felt heavier than the last, as if the ground itself resisted them. The door hung crooked on its hinges, swaying slightly despite the absence of wind. The weeping grew louder as they approached, clearer now, unmistakably human.
Apollonia reached the door first and pushed it open.
The sound led them inside.
The house was dim, the air stale and cold. Furniture lay overturned, dust thick on the floor. The crying echoed from deeper within, bouncing off narrow walls, guiding them like a thread pulled taut.
Then it stopped.
Abruptly.
Too abruptly.
A fraction of a second passed, just enough for dread to bloom...
"SAVE ME!"
The scream ripped through the house, high and shrill, a girl's voice twisted with terror and despair.
Then...
BOOM!
The house exploded outward.
