Chapter 7
The harsh glare of the porch light illuminated a figure standing motionless right on the top step of the front porch. Maya stumbled backward, her small sneakers slipping slightly on the polished wood, her hands flying up to cover her mouth to trap the scream threatening to tear from her throat.
The woman standing before her wore an identical green school uniform, complete with crisp white socks and braided hair tied with a green bow. But her face—her face was pale, sunken, and utterly lifeless, staring straight ahead with unblinking eyes that seemed to look right through Maya.
"Maya..." a hollow, raspy voice drifted from the porch figure, sounding like dry leaves scraping across concrete. "Don't go down the stairs. They'll bury you next to the roses, too."
Maya’s legs turned to lead. She couldn't run, she couldn't breathe, and she couldn't look away. The girl on the porch looked exactly like her—down to the very last detail, right down to the tiny scar on her left thumb from falling off her bicycle last summer.
"Who... who are you?" Maya whimpered, tears streaming down her pale cheeks as she pressed her back hard against the open front door.
Before the ghostly double could answer, heavy footsteps echoed from inside the hallway. Julian burst through the doorway, still breathing heavily, his brown suit jacket half-off his shoulders. He froze the instant he saw the figure standing on the porch, his face turning a ghastly shade of gray.
"No," Julian whispered, his hands flying to his head as he stared at the porch. "No, no, no. I locked that door. I checked the basement. You're supposed to be locked inside!"
Sarah appeared behind Julian, stepping gracefully past him into the cool night air. She glanced at the ghostly girl on the porch, then at Julian, and finally down at Maya with a chilling, knowing smile. She reached down, casually adjusting the luxury watch on her wrist.
"Did you really think locking a door could keep the past out, Julian?" Sarah asked smoothly, her voice cutting through the night. "Children have a way of remembering things adults try so desperately to bury."
The girl on the porch slowly turned her head, her unblinking eyes locking onto Julian.
"You promised to protect me, Daddy," the ghost whispered, stepping closer, her footsteps making a hollow, echoing sound that defied reality. "Just like you promised Mommy before you pushed her down the basement stairs."
Julian let out a blood-curdling scream, dropping to his knees on the welcome mat, pressing his hands hard over his ears as if trying to block out the very fabric of his own crimes.
Maya stood paralyzed, the words echoing in her mind like thunder. Pushed her down the basement stairs. It wasn't an accident. It was murder, premeditated and cold, witnessed by a house that kept its own dark secrets.
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Sarah stepped forward, walking right past the terrified ghostly figure as if she were made of smoke. She knelt down beside Julian, gently placing a hand on his trembling shoulder.
"Get up, Julian," Sarah commanded softly, her voice sharp as glass. "Your daughter needs to see what's waiting for her in the basement."
