Something in the Dark

Denise stepped back from the monitor so fast her heel caught on the edge of the floor.

She steadied herself against the metal console, breathing sharply.

“No… no, that’s not—”

The screen still showed it.

Still looking.

Even though it had no reason to know she was watching.

Its head tilted slightly, like it was listening to something beyond sound.

Then it moved again.

Fast.

Too fast.

One moment it was in frame.

The next—

nothing.

Denise’s throat tightened.

She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to slow her breathing.

“This is insane,” she whispered. “This is actually insane.”

A distant sound echoed through the mansion.

Not an alarm this time.

A crash.

Followed by silence.

Then another.

Closer.

Denise turned toward the door instantly.

Locked.

She checked it again anyway.

Still locked.

But the feeling in her chest didn’t ease.

It got worse.

She backed away from the door slowly, eyes scanning the room like it might offer an answer.

“Liam,” she said quietly.

No response.

Of course there wasn’t.

He was gone.

Down there.

Where whatever that thing was… was now moving through his house.

Denise swallowed.

Then forced herself toward the desk again.

The monitors were still active.

Still shifting between corridors.

She hesitated.

Then tapped the controls with shaking fingers.

The feed changed.

Lower corridor.

Empty.

For a second, relief flickered through her—

Then a shadow crossed the frame.

Denise froze.

The camera rotated slightly, adjusting automatically.

And there it was again.

Standing perfectly still in the hallway.

Not running now.

Just waiting.

Its body looked human-shaped at first glance.

But wrong.

Too long in the limbs.

Too still in the shoulders.

Like something pretending to understand posture.

Denise whispered, “What are you…”

The thing suddenly tilted its head.

And smiled.

Her blood ran cold.

Then the screen cut out.

All of them.

Every monitor went black at once.

Silence dropped over the room like a weight.

Denise stood completely still.

“No signal,” she whispered.

A soft click came from behind her.

She spun instantly.

The balcony door.

It was open again.

Even though she was sure she hadn’t touched it.

Wind moved the curtains slowly.

Back and forth.

Like something breathing.

Denise took a careful step back.

Then another.

“Okay,” she whispered to herself. “Okay, just calm down—this is just—security system glitch, or—”

A sound.

Behind her.

Right behind her.

Denise froze.

Her entire body locked in place.

Slowly—

she turned her head.

Nothing.

The room looked the same.

Bed.

Desk.

Dark corners.

But the air felt different.

Denise’s voice came out barely above a whisper. “Liam…?”

No answer.

Then—

a whisper, right at her ear.

“You smell like him.”

Denise moved before she thought.

She stumbled forward and grabbed the edge of the desk, spinning around fully.

Empty.

The room was empty.

But the temperature had dropped.

Significantly.

Denise’s breathing turned uneven. “Stop it,” she said sharply. “Stop doing that.”

Silence.

Then a soft sound.

Like something exhaling.

From the corner of the room.

Denise didn’t look.

She couldn’t afford to.

Her hand reached blindly for something—anything—on the desk.

Her fingers found a heavy metal object.

A decorative letter opener.

Not much.

But better than nothing.

“Stay away from me,” she said firmly.

A pause.

Then—

a slow movement in the darkness.

Not rushing.

Not attacking.

Approaching.

Denise backed up until her shoulders hit the wall.

Her heart was pounding so hard it hurt.

Then the thing stepped into the faint light from the hallway.

It looked almost human.

Almost.

But its eyes—

they were wrong.

Too reflective.

Too aware.

And it was smiling again.

“You’re not supposed to be here,” it said softly.

Denise’s grip tightened. “Neither are you.”

The thing tilted its head slightly, like it found that amusing.

“I was invited,” it said.

Denise frowned despite the fear tightening her throat. “By who?”

A pause.

Then it smiled wider.

“By what you awakened.”

A sudden sound echoed through the mansion again.

Not a crash this time.

A roar.

Deep.

Feral.

Powerful enough that even the windows seemed to vibrate.

The creature in her room paused.

Its head turned slightly toward the sound.

For the first time—

its expression shifted.

Recognition.

Denise didn’t understand it.

But she felt it.

Something was changing downstairs.

Something that made even this thing hesitate.

The creature looked back at her slowly.

Then spoke softly:

“Oh…”

A pause.

Then, almost curious:

“He’s awake.”

Denise’s breath caught.

“Who—?”

But it was already moving.

Fast.

Too fast.

Straight toward the balcony.

Denise reacted instantly, stepping forward—

But it was gone before she could reach it.

The curtains whipped violently.

Then silence again.

Denise stood frozen.

Her mind struggling to process what just happened.

Then—

another roar echoed.

Closer this time.

Louder.

The mansion itself seemed to shudder.

Denise walked slowly toward the balcony doors.

Her hand trembling slightly as she pushed the curtain aside.

Below—

in the lower courtyard—

she saw movement.

Shadows.

Running.

And something else.

Something massive moving through them like they were nothing.

Then she saw him.

Liam.

But not as she had seen him before.

Not calm.

Not controlled.

He stood in the center of the courtyard like a force holding the world in place.

The air around him felt… heavier.

Distorted.

And the men who had broken in—

they were running.

Not fighting.

Running.

Denise’s breath caught as Liam moved again.

Faster than before.

Too fast.

One moment human-shaped—

the next—

something else entirely beneath the motion.

Denise stepped back slowly from the balcony.

Her voice barely audible.

“What… are you?”

And far below—

as Liam turned his head upward—

for just a second—

his eyes met hers.

And they were no longer fully human.