The abandoned house was suffocating, its air thick with decay and shadows. Leo wiped the black soot from the windowsill, his fingers tingling from the strange, gritty texture.
"Don't touch it," Ella warned, her voice trembling. "That's not just dirt."
Leo glanced at her, but before he could respond, the ground beneath them groaned. The soot wasn't just on the surfaces-it was alive, spreading, creeping, as if the house itself was breathing.
And now, it had noticed them.