Thembeka heard the scream before it reached her ears. Heart pounding, she dashed up the stairs two at a time. The door to the basement was ajar, swinging slightly as if pushed by a ghost.
Lwandle stood at the top of the stairs, pale and shaking. His eyes flickered between their usual brown and an unsettling black.
"Mom... I—I went down there," he whispered. "The basement... something's *there*."
Thembeka grasped his shoulders tightly, searching his face. But it was like staring into a stranger's eyes—cold, dark, unreadable.
"We have to seal it," she said, her voice trembling. "Before whatever's down there finds a way out."
But Lwandle only smiled. Not his usual warm smile. This was... different. Menacing.
"I'm not scared anymore," he said. "I feel... powerful."
Suddenly, the lights flickered and a low growl echoed through the house. Shadows twisted and stretched, crawling along the walls like living things.
Thembeka backed away, clutching her Bible and muttering prayers. Lwandle's smile widened.
"Mom... the shadow wants me to make a pact. To unleash what's trapped beneath."
Thembeka gasped. "No, Lwandle! You must resist. You're stronger than it!"But the boy shook his head slowly. "No... it's *us* now. One."
A cold wind slammed the basement door shut. The house plunged into darkness.
Outside, the night grew quiet once again. But the whispers beneath the floorboards were only beginning.