Chapter 7: The Scratching in the Walls
The scratching sound grew louder, a frantic, rhythmic scraping of wood and plaster that seemed to chase itself around the perimeter of the nursery ceiling. Elena shielded Maya’s head with her hand, her eyes wide with terror as she watched dust drift down from the crown molding onto the pristine white rug.
"It's in the walls, David. It's right above us," Elena whispered, her voice shaking uncontrollably.
David slammed the metal access panel shut and jammed the latch back into place, his chest heaving with exertion and suppressed rage. He stood up to his full height, his dark blue button-down shirt straining against his shoulders as he scanned the room for anything he could use as a weapon.
"Get your phone, Elena. Call the police. Tell them someone is inside the structure of the house," David ordered, marching toward the heavy oak door of the nursery.
"Where are you going?" Elena asked, panic gripping her chest as she watched him reach for the brass doorknob.
"I'm going to check the attic access in the main hallway. That scratching is heading up," David said firmly, turning the knob and pulling the door open just enough to peer into the dimly lit corridor.
The hallway was empty, the shadows stretching long and deep beneath the wall sconces. Elena stepped out of the nursery behind him, her dark pants swishing softly against the floor as she frantically dialed three digits on her phone screen.
"It's ringing... come on, pick up," Elena muttered under her breath, watching David step cautiously out into the corridor with the heavy iron skeleton keys clutched in his fist.
The overhead hallway light flickered once, twice, and then went completely dark, plunging them into the dim amber glow of the emergency wall lights. From the pitch-black stairwell leading up to the third-floor attic, a slow, heavy footstep sounded on the old wooden stairs—*creak... creak... creak*.
David raised his hand, signaling Elena to stay back. He took two slow steps toward the stairwell, his eyes locked on the darkness at the top of the steps.
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"Who's up there? Show yourself right now or I swear to God I will end you," David shouted, his voice echoing menacingly through the empty hallway.
The footsteps stopped instantly. From the darkness of the upper landing, a raspy, unfamiliar voice whispered back down into the gloom, calling David by his full name with an eerie, intimate familiarity.
