The back door slammed shut before they reached it.
Not because of wind.
Not because of a faulty hinge.
Because something had anticipated them.
Lara stumbled back, her hand reaching out for the counter. "It knew— it knew we'd try that way."
Kaven grabbed the nearest drawer, yanked it open — knives. Tools. Anything sharp. He tossed Lara a steel spatula without thinking. "Just stay behind me."
The blue vein in the floor had split into two — branching like lightning across the wood, pulsing with unnatural life. It wasn't just light anymore. It hummed. Vibrated like something beneath the boards was crawling closer.
The hallway behind the front door remained dark — silent again. The voice hadn't spoken since that last whisper.
> "Found you."
But now… now the silence felt worse.
Lara's breathing was rapid. Her eyes darted toward the tiny square window above the sink. "We can break that—go out that way—"
Kaven moved to the window, tested the latch.
It didn't budge.
It wasn't jammed.
It was… sealed. From outside. Welded, maybe.
"I don't get it," Lara whispered, voice cracking. "Why trap us? Why pretend to be me? What wants us?"
Kaven didn't answer. His eyes locked onto the wall opposite them — the family photo frame.
It was blank.
Completely wiped clean. The glass was smooth. No image. No backing. Just… empty.
Lara noticed it too. "That was from last year… the hiking trip—"
He nodded. "It's erasing things."
"Why?"
Kaven turned toward her slowly. "Because it's replacing them."
A soft thunk came from the hallway. Then another.
Footsteps.
But not normal ones.
Heavy. Muffled. Like something padded was pressing against the wood… learning how to walk.
Lara's phone vibrated again.
> NOW LISTENING
"CALIBRATING HUMAN RESPONSE"
Her grip tightened. "It's watching us."
Suddenly, the overhead light above the sink buzzed to life — just one bulb. Flickering.
Then… a sound came from the hallway.
Music.
A soft, garbled version of Lara's voice — humming. A lullaby her mother used to sing. It was off-key. Slowed. Distorted like an old cassette.
Lara's eyes filled with horror. "No one knows that tune—"
The hallway light flickered on.
Then they saw it.
A figure.
Silhouetted in the doorway.
Not quite human — too still, too symmetrical.
But wearing something familiar.
Lara's hoodie.
Kaven stepped in front of her.
The figure tilted its head — mimicking. Echoing his gesture.
Then it spoke.
> "I'm Lara. I'm safe. I'm real. Let me in."
Its mouth never moved.
The voice came from inside the walls.
And the pulsing lines across the floor began to turn red.
Kaven didn't hesitate.
He grabbed Lara's hand and ran — toward the attic stairs.
The one place the signals hadn't reached yet.
But even as they moved, the apartment began to shift. Walls humming. Cabinets clicking. Light bulbs popping like knuckles.
This wasn't just mimicry anymore.
It was becoming real.
And it wanted to be them.
To live in their skin.
To take their place.
And it had just begun.
---
[To be continued in Chapter 11]