it's funny how desperation makes you take what you can get even if it's the worst the moment I stepped out of prison after 7 years it felt like the world had moved on not that I could blame anyone my identity was stained associated with theft vandalism and crime the only luxury I was left was my old gilapy and sausage sandwiches so when I found the ad for a job as a housekeeper in Caroline's Villa I didn't think twice no more sleazy part-time jobs at Hooters no more drunken creeps treating me like crap I just wanted
something to keep me off the streets the interview was unsettling Caroline the lady of the house was a 75-year-old widow from the second I saw her something felt wrong her smile stretched too far like it didn't belong in her face her eyes darted around wild and jittery then without warning she let out this soft Eerie giggle that sent a chill down my fine I caught her lips moving whispering to herself too quiet to make out my gut screamed at me to leave but I needed this job there's not much to do just clean and help
look after my son Judas she said her eyes widening he's been resting my daughter Dalia likes to keep to herself Caroline's laugh filled the room a high-pitched Eerie sound that made my skin crawl doly is a good girl quiet though she doesn't talk much just stares despite the weird Vibes I took the job what else was I going to do sleep in my car forever I packed up my few belongings and moved in the next morning the house was huge but not in the grand cozy way you'd expect no it was dark and musty and
every corner felt like somebody's going to jump out at You Caroline showed me to my attic room you'll stop tomorrow Caroline said grinning again there's only one rule never step outside your room past midnight the attic door slammed shut behind her and I was alone with my thoughts and a mess outside the world stuck with me as I lay down I didn't sleep well the sound of wind scraping against the old windows mixed with a faint hum of Whispers From Below kept me on edge by morning I was already regretting my decision ignoring everything I
started cleaning the house was a disaster Caroline and dollia lived like they had five lives the filth touched the roof dirty towels everywhere dishes crusted with old food the bathroom was a horror of its own but my nightmare was judas's room he was in a coma she'd said so when I walked in I wasn't expecting the stench of bleach to burn my nose his room was spotless like a hospital Ward but the air was thick with chemicals Judas lay motionless on the bed pale and sickly for a moment I could swear he wasn't breathing at
all but the beeping of the heart monitor reassured me by Nightfall I was exhausted and passed out the moment I fell on the bed it had to be around 1:00 a.m. when it happened an earpiercing scream smacked me right out of bed my heart nearly fell off my mouth when the screams came again sharp and desperate without thinking I grabbed my flashlight and bolted downstairs my steps halted outside of judas's room the door was slightly open and the bed his bed was empty the heart monitor was off the sheets were rumpled but there was no
sign of Judas my breath caught in my throat could he have woken up could someone in a coma just get up a low guttural chant echoed from the basement my feet moved on their own carrying me towards the sound I should have turned around I should have run out of that house and never looked back but I couldn't my legs had grown a mind of their own I crept down the stairs one slow step after another until I reached the basement door it was a jar and an eerie orange light flickered from within the scene
inside had me Frozen Caroline was hunched over a wooden plank her hands hovering over judas's still body the guy wasn't in a coma he was gone gray skin lips sunken eyes half open it wasn't Judas but his corpse and beside Caroline Dalia stood shivering like a leaf her eyes were wide with Terror what the hell are you doing I yelled not knowing it could be my worst mistake Caroline's head snapped up her eyes wild the woman was possessed be quiet I'm bringing him back she screamed next I was flung backward crashing into a shelf as
car line wrapped her claws around my neck white spots danced in my vision but just before a complete blackout could take over Dalia somehow swung a heavy Candlestick square at her mother Caroline collapsed unconscious Dalia dropped to her knees sobbing uncontrollably I tried to stop her she whispered her voice trembling Judas died 5 days ago he fell down the stairs mama she wouldn't accept it she said the practice could bring him back the bile Rose in my throat as the realization hit hard the smell the bleach the chemicals it all made sense now Caroline had
been clinging to her son we immediately rang the cops but I was already gone before they arrived I didn't wait for explanations didn't want to hear him as I drove away my eyes glued to the rearview mirror I half expected to see Carol L 's deranged face grinning back at me but there was only Darkness I could be free from that house but I would never be free of its Dreadful memory I was thrilled to start my new job at Whitlock and Associates a quaint a counting firm nestled in an old brick building downtown the
office had a vintage charm my desk was by one of those grand windows and directly across from me sat a woman with long dark hair that cascaded over her face she glanced up briefly as I settled in offering a slight nod before returning to her work I smiled hi I'm Emma nice to meet you she didn't respond her pen moving furiously over a notepad the scratching sound was relentless almost aggressive I Shrugged it off assuming she was engrossed in something important as the morning wore on I couldn't help but noticed her intense Focus Pages fill
up rapidly each one covered in what looked like halfhazard scribbles curiosity nod at me at one point I tried to peek at what she was writing but she immediately slapped her hand over the page eyes still hidden behind her air during lunch break I joined a few colleagues in the break room and caught a smoke with Lily so the woman who sits across from me does she ever join you guys for lunch she gave me a puzzled look who do you do you mean the woman with long dark hair always writing in her notepad she
chuckled nervously must be one of the OTAs from upstairs they don't gel back at my desk she was still there pen scratching away she didn't eat didn't stretch didn't even shift in her seat the pile of filled Pages was now spilling onto the floor you know it's okay to take a break sometimes silence I returned to my work but the incessant scratching was maddening I slipped on my headphones to drown it out later needing a rest bite I decided to get some coffee as I stood up I glanced at her she was perfectly still except
for her hand The Way She Wrote was almost mechanical repetitive in the hallway I bumped into mark one of the it guys hey do you know if there's a problem with the heating it's freezing by my desk Mark raised an eyebrow haven't heard any complaints I'll check the thermostat back at my desk the temperature seemed to have dropped even more I rubbed my hands together glancing at the thermostat on the wall it read a normal 72° the afternoon sun cast Reflections on the window behind my colleague I noticed something odd her reflection didn't match her
movements while she wrote feverishly a reflection sat eily still head slowly turning to face me my breath caught in my throat I blinked hard when I looked again her reflection matched her actions as the day neared its end most of the office began to pack up hey we're all heading out soon do you need any help with anything she stopped writing slowly she lifted her head but her face was still obscured by hair a whisper reached my ears so faint I was was n't sure I heard it they can't see me a chill ran down
my spine excuse me she resumed writing even more frantically than before the lights above flickered I looked around the rest of the office seemed unaffected Gathering my belongings I hurried to leave as I exited I glanced back she was watching me her face partially visible her eyes were dark sunken filled with an emotion I couldn't place I couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong the next day I arrived to find a sticky note on my monitor see me in my office Mr Thompson great was I already in trouble in his office Mr Thompson
gave me a concerned look Emma is everything all right some of your colleagues mentioned you seemed distracted I'm fine he nodded slowly let us know if you need anything back at my desk the woman was was absent relief washed over me maybe she'd taken the day off hours passed and she didn't show as I focused on a particularly tedious spreadsheet the overhead lights flickered again the screen glitched lines of random numbers and symbols replacing my data frustrated I called it Mark arrived frowning at the monitor that's odd looks like some kind of data corruption as
he worked I noticed a reflection in the dark part of the screen behind me stood the woman her face inches from mine I spun around but no one was there did you see that Mark denied he gave me a sympathetic smile take care of yourself okay by late afternoon the office was nearly empty I decided to investigate I approached her desk the notepad was there covered in frantic handwriting I hesitated then picked it up the pages were filled with a single phrase repeated over and over they don't see they don't see a sudden cold enveloped
me you see me I whipped around she stood directly in front of me hair no longer hiding her face her skin was pale almost translucent eyes Hollow and filled with despair I was like you new eager what happened tears streamed down her cheeks they pushed me too hard they don't see you don't see the room darkened the office light burst plunging the room into darkness I stumbled back tripping over a chair when I looked up she was gone emergency lights flickered on I couldn't move days later after taking time off I returned to collect my
things I couldn't stay there as I packed up I found a small envelope on my desk inside was a faded photograph of the woman smiling surrounded by people in an office party on the back a name was scalled Helen Brooks I approached Mr Thompson Mr Thompson what happened to Helen Brooks he stiffened eyes narrowing where did you hear that name I showed him the photo he sighed heavily Helen was an employee here she left us some time ago why did no one mention her she uh she she jumped from the window where you sit after
she was denied a deserved promotion different manager then she kept saying they don't see me it's it's not something we discuss as I left the building I glanced back at the window by my desk for a moment I thought I saw her standing there watching then she faded like a shadow in the sunlight I never saw her again maybe she felt like someone saw her and she finally found peace all this time desperation accompanied me and I could think of nothing else to do when I noticed the ads for a secretary I took it it
was quite a normal advertisement an elderly woman required a secretary to answer on many kinds of of tasks sounding simple which at that point I took my life for all that simpler Mrs Thorne the elderly lady replied promptly to my application and asked me to come over to her place for my first day at work her address led me to an old sprawling house on the outskirts of town it had a creepy charm to it but I declined paying heed to the uneasy feelings creeping up my spine this was my chance to put my life
back on track when Mrs Thorne opened the door she warmly invited me in she was frail and sharp eyed seeming to see right through me would you like some tea before I begin she asked her voice as creaky as the floorboards under my feet and to make a good impression I agreed I remembered the bitter taste of the tea it was warm yet cold simultaneously as I continued drinking my sight became blurry my body limp and this is what I remember last Mrs Thorn's Wicked smile there was no Dawn yet my eyes snapped open to
find myself lying in a musty dimly lit basement where chains bit deep into my wrists the air inside was icy damp without a sound other than the drip of water far away echoing from some other room Panic overwhelmed me as I strained against the chains which did not budge an inch Mrs Thorn stepped into view at the top of the stairs as she slowly descended them and eerily tranquil movement welcome back dear she said her voice chillingly Serene what's what's all this why am I you have a task to complete she handed me a set
of tools and some wooden boards build your coffin she commanded my eyes snapped open in horror I shrieked for help are you insane let me go right now but Mrs Thorne only [Laughter] laughed see that on your leg then pointed to my ankle an odd device a bangle like thing was attached to my right ankle I watched Mrs Thorne taking out a small remote then pressing a red button on it electricity surged through my body I convulsed and barely could keep myself from crying out now are you going to do as I say she asked
her eyes glinting with malevolent Glee I nodded shuttering in agony I began hammering the coffin together as my brain twisted and contorted for an escape as Mrs Thorne spoke sick fantasies to me while laboring I found out she wanted to have buried a person alive and then all her life listened to the screams her voice dripped with sadistic pleasure and I knew I wasn't her first victim but I vowed to be the last Mrs Thorne didn't know any anything about my dark past I had worked for a secret Hitman agency in Mexico wanting to start
fresh brought me back to the States my stealth and combat skills weren't however on par with the point at which the agency was paying I meant to use them as my ticket through this nightmare as I knelt to set the coffin upright loosening the gear on my ankle with the screwdriver dangling from my hip was merely an automatic act every motion was Swift and controlled the by product of the years of discipline Mrs Thorne remained oblivious to my intentions as she basked in her sadistic fantasy finally I released the anklet with a jerky motion I
flung myself at Mrs Thorne knocking her down to the floor although thin and fragile she seemed to exert Untold strength and struggling my greater strength in the end won I strapped the device to her wrist and grasp the remote now you shall obey me I hissed through icy arrogance from then onwards tables turned Mrs Thorne became afraid and was bound to do follow my orders for the next 3 days I forced her to write a will where she left all her properties to me next 3 months straight I played the good secretary the neighbors got
used to my kind disposition toward the elderly Mrs Thorne I ensured that everyone had my side as the dutiful caretaker of that old granny these 3 months Mrs Thor laid like a broccoli around the house and then one fine day I put Mrs Thorne into a wheelchair and placed her above the stairs she knew the end and begged for her life with a cold emotionless expression I hit the button on the remote Mrs Thorne convulsed in anguish as her convulsive movements rolled the wheelchair over she fell down the stairs her neck snapping with a grotesque
crack the death was ruled an accident that was when the lawyer finally called me and told me that Mrs Thorne had willed everything to me I pretended to cry and told him how sorry I was and that she was close to me I demanded some kind of Memorial and funeral should be done to pay respects to the dead owner during the funeral I made Mrs Thorne lie in that coffin which I had built under compulsion as the coffin was lowered into the grave I sat there and looked at it my face was unreadable since I
had survived and had ensured the future Generations would not have to pass through what I did did but for sure the darkness of my past and what I went through will forever be seen as marks against my soul
