Night had fallen completely over the old mansion, devouring the last remnants of twilight. The stillness of the central corridor contrasted with the barely audible noises that were beginning to emerge from the darker corners of the place. The suite of rooms on the eastern section of the first floor, where six private individuals were housed, was as tense and fragile as glass.
A rustle.
Then another.
Then... footsteps. Light, shuffling, as if the feet that produced them barely touched the aged wooden floor.
Takashi's eyes snapped open. His breathing was controlled, but his naturally weak body prevented him from rising quickly. He wasn't the kind of person to let fear take over, but a part of him, still humbled by the maids' look of tenderness that morning, wished those noises were just wishful thinking. He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth.
-It can't be," he barely whispered, with restrained anger directed more at himself than at the unknown.
In the next room, Hazuki remained in her bed, sitting up, legs crossed under the covers. She had long since turned off the lights, but she was not asleep. Her eyes, accustomed to the darkness, remained fixed on the closed door.
-Those sounds again... -he thought coldly, without changing his expression.
He remembered the old woman's words clearly, but even so, the situation seemed to him more like a psychological test than a real danger.
-If this is a charade to bring us down... I'll double back at them," he said to himself, with a wry half-smile, before turning sideways while remaining alert.
Claire, on the other hand, was sitting by the window of her room, with a book in her hands that she had stopped reading long ago. Her eyes were fixed on the night outside, not bothering to hide the restlessness that had settled under her skin.
-There is no wind... -he muttered.
He closed the book slowly and got up, approaching the door, but without opening it. He leaned his ear gently against it.
-Tch... this is beyond ridiculous.
But inside her, a pang of concern for Takashi made her retrace her steps. She sat on the edge of the bed, ready to act if necessary, though her expression did not abandon its characteristic mixture of sarcasm and lucidity.
Rika was lying on her back, her hands folded on her stomach. She was not sleeping. Nor did she intend to. She had heard the footsteps, the muffled rustling that she couldn't tell if it came from the hallway or from the walls themselves.
He smiled.
-How interesting.
There was no fear within him, but a curiosity bordering on the sickly. He had closed his eyes for a moment, as if he expected this entity, or whatever it was that was creeping about the mansion, to manifest itself in his room as well.
-Come on, show yourself. Surprise me.
The voice in his mind was sharp, like a scalpel eager to dissect the mystery.
Riku, meanwhile, lay awake in the darkness, lying on his side. His open eyes reflected the faint moonlight streaming through the window. He did not move. He listened. He was used to observing, not intervening, and though his body showed no obvious tension, inside he was on guard. The echoing footsteps reminded him of something, a strange feeling, a reminiscence impossible to fully grasp. His breathing was as silent as his thoughts.
I wasn't looking for an explanation... I just wanted to understand.
The last room, at the far end of the corridor, belonged to a young woman no one had yet recognised. Unlike the rest, she was sitting in front of the mirror, combing her hair slowly, as if nothing was out of place.
-There they go again," she muttered, more to herself than out of fear.
His voice was sweet, lilting, almost too serene.
-I hope they don't interrupt my sleep this time.
He put the brush down on the dresser, leaned back without turning off the lamp and closed his eyes, with a placid smile that didn't match the moment. As if he knew perfectly well what was going on... and didn't care at all.
The corridor outside seemed to come alive. The footsteps now sounded closer, clearer, accompanied by unintelligible murmurs. Sometimes it sounded as if someone was knocking softly on the walls from the other side, looking for a door... or perhaps a crack to slip through.
Hazuki turned his head sharply when he thought he heard his name whispered. But no one was there. Claire, now standing, was staring at the door lock, as if she expected to see an eye peeking out from the other side. Rika was laughing under the covers. Takashi clenched his fist under the blanket, refusing to show himself vulnerable. Riku just stared at the ceiling, where a shadow seemed to dance in the breeze. And the unknown girl slept... or pretended to sleep.
The mansion continued to beat like a buried heart.
Time, in that secluded corner, became heavy.
And the night... was just beginning.