Kiel's room was quiet.
A small desk by the window. A bed pushed against the wall. Posters half peeling at the corners. A dim lamp casting a warm circle of light across the floor.
Normal.
Everything about it felt normal.
Ita sat on the edge of the bed, hands clasped tightly together, staring down at the carpet. His heart had finally slowed, but the fear hadn't left. It just settled somewhere deeper, heavier.
Kiel closed the door behind them.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Kiel let out a long breath and dropped onto the chair near the desk, spinning it slightly so he was facing Ita.
"Okay" he said softly. "You need to explain something."
Ita didn't look up.
"what happened in the bathroom " Kiel asked. "And back at that house. And just now on the street. You keep looking at things that aren't there."
Silence.
Ita's fingers tightened together.
He could feel it.
Even here.
That same wrong feeling in the air. Like something was standing just outside the door, listening. Waiting.
If he told Kiel…
Would they notice?
Would they start looking at him too?
"Ita." Kiel said, quieter now. "Youre scaring me."
Ita swallowed hard.
He wanted to tell him.
He wanted to say everything.
About the stair boy.
About the faces in the street.
About the things that watched him from corners and mirrors.
About home.
About how sometimes the real monsters weren't the ones you could see.
The words pressed against his throat, desperate to come out.
But then he imagined it.
Kiel standing in the hallway.
Something behind him.
Something smiling.
Something reaching.
The stair boy's voice echoed in his mind.
"You are the one who sees."
Not Kiel.
Just him.
If he dragged Kiel into this…
What if the ghosts started noticing him too?
What if they followed him?
What if something happened to kiel because of him?
Ita opened his mouth.
"kiel, i-.."
He stopped.
The words died there.
Kiel waited.
But Ita just shook his head.
"Im okay.." he said quietly.
It was a weak lie.
Kiel stared at him for a long moment, searching his face like he was trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't.
"Youre not." Kiel said simply.
Ita didn't answer.
Because there was nothing he could say that wouldn't make things worse.
Kiel leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair. He looked frustrated for a second.
Then the frustration faded.
He sighed.
"Alright.." he muttered.
Ita finally looked up.
Kiel wasn't angry.
Just… tired.
"I get it " Kiel said. "You dont like being pushed."
Ita blinked.
"You never talk unless you want to" Kiel went on. "Even before all this, so im not gonna force it out of you "
Something warm flickered in Ita's chest.
Relief.
Kiel gave a small shrug. "But if you ever feel okay enough to tell me..i'll listen to you."
No pressure.
No judgment.
Just there.
Ita's throat tightened.
"Okay " he whispered.
Kiel stood up and grabbed an extra blanket from the corner of the room, tossing it onto the bed. "You can take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor "
"No, i can-"
"shut up." Kiel said, but there was a faint smile on his face. "youre the guest."
Ita didn't argue.
He lay down slowly, pulling the blanket over himself. The mattress was soft. Warmer than anything he was used to.
Kiel turned off the main light, leaving only the small lamp glowing in the corner.
The room fell quiet again.
For a moment, Ita almost felt safe.
Then,
A soft creak.
From the closet.
Ita's eyes snapped open.
The closet door was closed.
But something inside shifted.
Slow.
Careful.
Like it was trying not to be heard.
Ita held his breath.
Don't look.
Don't look.
Don't look.
Beside him, Kiel was already lying down, back turned, breathing steady.
He didn't notice.
He couldn't hear it.
Another creak.
The closet door opened just a little.
A thin line of darkness appeared.
And from that darkness.
A long, pale finger slowly curled around the edge of the door.
Ita squeezed his eyes shut, heart racing.
He didn't make a sound.
Didn't move.
Because he didn't want Kiel to see.
Didn't want them to know Kiel was here.
After a long moment, the creaking stopped.
Silence returned.
But Ita knew.
They were still inside the room.
Watching.
Waiting.
And he was more afraid than ever.
Because now, they were in Kiel's house too.