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Chapter 33: When the House Decides

Penulis: Alele Tombra
last update Terakhir Diperbarui: 2025-03-24 13:48:32

Ethan sat by the fire, his hands still gripping the damp letter like it could anchor him to something solid. His breathing had slowed, but his eyes darted around the room, flicking to every shadow, every flickering candle. He wasn’t just cold he was aware.

The house had taken hold.

It always started like this. A creeping, crawling unease. A presence pressing just beyond the edges of awareness. The mind searching for a way to rationalize what it already knew, but wouldn’t yet accept.

Elliot had seen it before.

He leaned against the fireplace, arms crossed. Isla hovered near the door, her expression unreadable. She hadn’t said much since Ethan arrived. She was still shaken from her own encounter, still processing the weight of her memories clawing their way back to the surface.

Ethan was next.

The house would dig into him, same as it had with her. Same as it had with Elliot.

The only question was

How long would it take before Ethan stopped fighting?

And how much would the house take before he did?

The storm outside had settled into a steady rhythm, rain tapping against the tall windows in slow, uneven patterns. The fire cast shifting shadows across the walls, making the room feel smaller, more enclosed. Ethan finally let out a breath, shaking his head as he set the letter on the small table beside him.

“This doesn’t make sense,” he muttered. “None of this makes sense.”

Elliot watched him. “That’s what they all say.”

Ethan frowned. “They?”

“The others before you.”

Ethan’s eyes darkened slightly. “There were others?”

Elliot nodded. “There always are.”

Ethan let out a sharp, bitter laugh. “Great. That’s real fucking reassuring.”

Isla, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. “It doesn’t matter if it makes sense,” she said. “You’re here now.”

Ethan looked at her, like he was seeing her for the first time.

“You’ve been through this already, haven’t you?” he asked.

Isla hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah.”

Ethan studied her carefully. “And? Did you figure out why?”

Isla’s fingers curled slightly at her sides. “I’m starting to.”

Ethan exhaled. “So, what? I just sit around and wait for this place to fuck with me?”

Elliot shook his head. “You don’t have to wait long.”

Ethan scoffed. “Oh, come on”

Then, the fire flickered.

And the air changed.

Elliot felt it immediately.

A shift.

A quiet, subtle pull, like the house was stretching toward something unseen.

Ethan stiffened. Isla went completely still.

The air was colder now, thick with something watching.

And then, from somewhere deep in the house

A whisper.

Faint. Just barely audible.

But it was there.

Ethan turned sharply. “What the hell was that?”

Elliot didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. The house was making its move.

Ethan swallowed hard, shaking his head. “Nope. No, no, no, I’m not”

Then the light shifted.

And the sitting room door creaked open.

A long hallway stretched beyond the threshold, darker than before. The candles in their sconces burned lower, their flames flickering wildly, as if disturbed by an unseen breath.

Ethan stared at the open door, his face pale.

“I didn’t open that,” he whispered.

Elliot exhaled. “The house did.”

Ethan turned toward him, voice shaking. “So what? I’m supposed to go in there?”

Elliot didn’t move. “It’s not really a choice.”

Ethan let out a short, panicked laugh. “Like hell it’s not.”

Isla’s voice was quiet. “If you don’t, it’ll come to you.”

Ethan stiffened, his jaw clenching. He looked between them, his mind racing. Elliot could see the calculations behind his eyes, the desperate search for a way to rationalize this, to explain it.

But there was no explanation.

Only what the house wanted.

And right now, it wanted him.

Elliot pushed off the fireplace. “You should go before it gets impatient.”

Ethan stared at him. “You’re serious.”

Elliot nodded.

Ethan inhaled sharply, running a hand through his damp hair. He was on the edge of panic, his body coiled tight like a wire ready to snap. But he wasn’t stupid. He had felt it something unnatural, something wrong.

And now, it was waiting for him.

Slowly, hesitantly, he turned toward the hallway.

The shadows stretched, shifting slightly as if reacting to his movement.

Elliot and Isla didn’t follow.

This was his moment.

His memory.

His truth to face.

Ethan took a shaky breath. “If I don’t come back, assume I’m dead.”

Elliot’s expression was unreadable. “You’ll come back.”

Ethan shot him a look. “You sound real fucking confident about that.”

Elliot met his gaze. “Because the house doesn’t want you dead.”

Ethan frowned. “Then what does it want?”

A pause.

Then Elliot said, simply

“It wants you to remember.”

Ethan exhaled shakily.

Then, with one last glance at the both of them, he stepped into the hallway.

The door creaked, closing slowly behind him.

The moment it latched shut, the room grew eerily still.

Isla swallowed. “You think he’s going to be okay?”

Elliot didn’t answer right away. He stared at the closed door, listening.

Somewhere in the distance, the house sighed.

“I think,” Elliot murmured, “he’s about to find out.”

Ethan’s footsteps echoed against the cold, narrow hallway.

The air grew heavier, pressing against his chest, slowing his movements.

A voice whispered from somewhere up ahead.

Familiar.

But impossible.

And then

A door at the end of the hall creaked open.

And Ethan remembered.

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    A dull pounding filled Isla’s skull, pulling her back into consciousness. Her breath came in slow, uneven gasps as she tried to piece together where she was, what had just happened. The floor beneath her was cold, the wood pressing against her cheek.She opened her eyes.The room had changed.It was no longer dust-covered and forgotten. The furniture was clean, the books neatly stacked on the shelves. The air smelled of lavender and something faintly sweet like warm milk and honey. Soft golden light filtered in through the lace curtains, casting delicate patterns across the walls.It was… familiar.Too familiar.Isla sat up slowly, her hands bracing against the floor. Her body felt heavy, her head foggy, like she had been drugged. But no this wasn’t a dream. The wood was solid beneath her fingertips. The air was thick with warmth. This was real.A soft hum drifted through the air.Isla stiffened.The melody was gentle, lilting, something she couldn’t place but still recognized. Her ch

  • The Echoes we Bury   Chapter 28: The Room That Waited

    The hall stretched ahead of them, narrowing as the candlelight flickered in the restless air. Isla walked slightly behind Elliot, her arms folded tight across her chest, her fingers digging into the fabric of her jacket. The whisper Welcome home still echoed in her mind. It had been soft, almost gentle, but there was something suffocating about it, something that curled into her thoughts and wouldn’t let go.Elliot didn’t seem rattled. If anything, he looked resigned, like he had walked this same path too many times before. He moved with purpose, each step measured, as if he knew exactly where he was going.“Where are we headed?” Isla asked, trying to keep her voice steady.“The house will decide,” Elliot said.She let out a short, humorless laugh. “Right. Of course. Because that makes sense.”Elliot ignored her sarcasm and continued walking. The walls pressed in as they moved deeper into the east wing, the corridor narrowing just slightly, as if shifting around them. Isla swore the p

  • The Echoes we Bury   Chapter 27: The House Remembers

    Isla shifted in her chair, glancing around the room as if searching for something solid, something that made sense. The warmth of the fire didn’t seem to reach her, and despite her best effort to appear unimpressed, Elliot could see the tension in her posture, the way her fingers curled slightly into her palms. She wasn’t just uncomfortable she was unsettled.She wasn’t the only one.The house had changed the moment she walked in. Elliot could feel it an awareness pressing in from all sides. The air carried a weight now, charged with something just beneath the surface, like the moment before a storm broke. It was always like this when a new arrival came. Wintercroft Hall was patient, but not passive. It had waited for Isla, and now it was watching.Elliot leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Tell me why you’re here.”Isla scoffed, crossing her arms. “You’re the one who’s supposed to have the answers. You tell me.”Elliot studied her carefully. “You got the letter. And som

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