Kiel's house was brighter than Ita expected.
Warm light spilled from the windows, and the sound of a television played softly from inside. It felt… alive. The kind of place where people laughed. Where doors stayed open. Where silence didn't feel heavy.
Ita stood awkwardly at the front steps, suddenly aware of how he looked. Dust on his clothes. Blood dried faintly at the corner of his lip. His hands still trembling.
Kiel opened the door without knocking.
"mom?" he called out. "I'm back."
A woman's voice answered from the living room. "Youre late again."
But she didn't sound angry.
Just tired. Familiar.
She walked into the hallway, wiping her hands on a dish towel, and then stopped when she saw Ita.
"oh," she said gently. "Hello."
Ita straightened, heart racing.
"This is Ita" Kiel said quickly. "He's...uh..."
Ita forced a small smile.
"My parents aren't home tonight." he said, the words tumbling out too fast. "And i didn't want to stay alone."
The lie tasted bitter.
But it was easier than the truth.
Kiel's mother studied him for a second.
Then her expression softened.
"Well, youre welcome here." she said. "No one should have to stay alone if they're scared."
Scared.
The word made Ita's chest tighten.
"Thank you." he whispered.
Kiel's father appeared from the living room, glasses resting low on his nose. "Friend of yours?"
"Yeah " Kiel said. "Hes staying the night. Is that okay?"
"of course it is okay " his father replied easily. "We've got plenty of space here."
No suspicion.
No anger.
Just acceptance.
It felt unreal.
"Have you eaten, Ita?" Kiel's mom asked.
He shook his head without thinking.
"Well, thats not good " she said, already turning toward the kitchen. "sit. I'll heat something up."
Ita froze for a second.
No one had asked him that in a long time.
Kiel nudged him lightly. "Go on, she'll get offended if you say no to her food."
Ita sat at the table, hands folded in his lap, watching as she placed a warm plate in front of him. The smell made his stomach twist.
"Eat." she said kindly. "You look like you need it "
He nodded, unable to speak.
Kiel's dad turned the TV down so it wasn't so loud.
Small things.
Normal things.
And for the first time in forever, Ita felt something strange settle inside his chest.
Safe.
Grateful.
Like he could breathe without checking the room first.
After dinner, Kiel tossed him a clean shirt. "Bathroom's down the hall. You can wash up if you want"
Ita nodded again.
The bathroom light was soft and yellow. Clean sink. Fresh towels. A mirror above the basin.
He turned on the tap and splashed water onto his face.
The coolness helped.
He stared at his reflection.
Bruised jaw.
Tired eyes.
A thin line of red along his cheek.
He barely recognized himself.
Slowly, he lifted his head.
And that's when he saw it.
Standing right behind him.
A face.
Close.
Too close.
Skin torn open across the forehead, blood running down into hollow eye sockets. Its mouth stretched wide, wider than humanly possible, teeth soaked dark red.
It was smiling.
Right at him.
Ita's breath caught in his throat.
He spun around.
No one.
The bathroom was empty.
His heart pounded wildly as he turned back toward the mirror.
It was still there.
Closer now.
Its head tilted, copying the movement of the stair boy.
The blood on its face dripped slowly onto the floor, but there was no sound when it fell.
It leaned forward.
Like it was trying to whisper into his ear.
Ita stumbled back so fast his legs hit the side of the bathtub.
He slipped.
And fell hard onto the floor.
A strangled scream tore out of him.
The bathroom door burst open.
"ITA?!"
Kiel rushed in, a towel in his hands, eyes wide with panic.
He stopped when he saw Ita on the ground.
"What Happened?!" Kiel asked, kneeling beside him.
Ita pointed at the mirror, shaking so hard he could barely speak.
"T-there was- it w-was right there-"
Kiel turned.
The mirror showed only the bathroom.
Empty.
No blood.
No face.
Nothing.
When Ita looked again,
The ghost was gone.
Just his own reflection staring back at him, pale and terrified.
Kiel frowned, completely confused. "Did you slip?"
Ita's chest heaved.
"It was right behind me.." he whispered. "It was right behind me…"
Kiel looked at him like he didn't understand.
Because he didn't.
He couldn't see them.
He never could.
Kiel helped him sit up, pressing the towel into his hands. "Youre shaking like crazy."
Ita kept staring at the mirror.
Waiting.
Expecting that face to appear again.
But it didn't.
Only silence.
Only his reflection.
And the terrible feeling that the ghosts hadn't stayed behind at the house.
They had followed him here.