As I stood frozen in terror, Sarah's eyes seemed to bore into my soul. Her grin grew wider, her face twisted in a macabre grimace. I tried to scream, but my voice was trapped in my throat.
Suddenly, the lights flickered and died, plunging us into darkness. I was alone, surrounded by an oppressive silence. The air was thick with an otherworldly presence, and I could feel malevolent eyes upon me.
I stumbled forward, desperate to find a way out. My hands grasped for the walls, feeling the damp, cold surface. Every step echoed through the hallway, making me feel like I was being herded toward some unknown fate.
As I walked, the darkness seemed to shift and writhe around me. Shadows coalesced into twisted forms that seemed to move of their own accord. I heard whispers in my ear, the voices a maddening cacophony of terror.
"You're mine now," one voice hissed.
"Never leave this place," another voice echoed.
I stumbled, my feet tangling in the carpet. As I fell, I saw a door looming before me. It swung open with a dreadful creak, revealing a room that seemed frozen in time.
The furniture was old, the bed shrouded in dusty curtains. A child's toys lay scattered on the floor, a macabre contrast to the terror that filled my heart. I knew I had to get out, but my legs seemed rooted to the spot.
A cold breeze swept through the room, extinguishing the faint light that had guided me. I was plunged into total darkness, surrounded by the oppressive presence of the malevolent spirits.
In the darkness, I felt a presence beside me. It was Sarah, her hand icy cold as she grasped my wrist.
"Come and see," she whispered, her voice no longer her own. "Come and see what I've found."
She dragged me through the darkness, the rooms blurring together in a mad whirl of terror. We stopped at a door that seemed to lead to the basement. The air that wafted up was heavy with decay and rot.
Sarah's grip on my wrist tightened as she pulled me down the stairs. The air grew colder, the darkness more oppressive. I stumbled, my foot catching on a step.
As I fell, I saw it. A room filled with old photographs, each one depicting a scene of unimaginable horror. People were screaming, their faces twisted in agony. I saw a figure in the background, a figure that seemed to be watching me.
The photographs seemed to be moving, the images changing. I saw Sarah, her eyes black as coal, her face twisted in a malevolent grin. I saw myself, my eyes wide with terror, my face contorted in a scream.
The images seemed to be closing in, suffocating me. I tried to scream, but my voice was trapped in my throat.
And then, everything went black.
When I came to, I was lying on the floor, my head throbbing in pain. The room was silent, the photographs still. But I knew I wasn't alone.
I stumbled to my feet, desperate to find a way out. But as I reached the door, I heard a voice, a voice that seemed to come from all around me.
"You'll never leave this place," it whispered. "You'll never escape the horrors of Blackwood Manor."
I knew then that I was doomed. The manor had me in its grasp, and it would never let me go.
*The terror had only just begun.*