Chapter 1: The Door I Wasn't Supposed to Open
I came home from a work trip and my 7-year-old son said, "Don't go into my room." — of course I did.
I'd been away for four days.
Long enough to miss my son's bedtime stories.
Long enough to feel guilty every time he asked, "When are you coming home, Mom?"
So when my flight landed earlier than expected, I decided not to tell anyone.
I wanted to surprise seven-year-old Bennett.
Instead...
He surprised me.
The front door swung open before I even had a chance to reach for my keys.
Bennett wrapped his arms around my waist so tightly I could barely breathe.
For a moment, everything seemed normal.
Then he looked up at me.
His smile disappeared.
"Mom..."
His voice trembled.
"Please don't go into my room."
I laughed, assuming he'd made some huge mess while I was gone.
"What happened?
Did you draw on the walls again?"
He shook his head so hard that tears filled his eyes.
"No."
"Then what is it?"
He glanced nervously down the hallway.
"I promised I wouldn't let anyone in."
I frowned.
"Promised who?"
He didn't answer.
My sister Lauren had been staying with him while I was away.
I called her name.
No response.
The house suddenly felt strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
I checked the kitchen.
Empty.
Then the backyard.
Empty.
But Lauren's car was still sitting in the driveway.
My pulse quickened.
"Bennett," I asked softly, "Where's Aunt Lauren?"
He stared down at the floor.
"I...
I don't know."
That made no sense.
She would never leave him home alone.
Then I noticed something.
A thin strip of light was shining from beneath Bennett's bedroom door.
I knew I'd switched everything off before I left.
And then I heard another sound.
So faint I almost missed it.
Not footsteps.
Not the television.
A low whisper.
Then the sound of something heavy scraping across the floor.
Bennett grabbed my sleeve.
His tiny fingers were trembling.
"Mom...
please."
"They said you'd be angry if you found out."
My heart began pounding.
I slowly stepped toward the door.
The whispering suddenly stopped.
The room went completely silent.
I wrapped my hand around the doorknob and pushed the door open just a few inches...
and froze.
---
What was inside that room — and why did Bennett make that promise?
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