Chapter 11: Whispers Beneath the Floor
The air inside the house was growing heavier, thicker as if the building was breathing. Every breath the trio took felt like it was borrowed. The walls pulsed, faintly, as if alive. And in the silence, they heard it: whispers. Too many voices to count, layered, tangled, desperate.
Lerato crouched near the corner of the room, her flashlight trembling in her hand. She looked at Simo and Thabo, both standing still as statues, listening.
It's beneath us,Lerato whispered.
Thabo frowned. What?
The voices. They're coming from under the floor.Simo knelt, pressing his ear against the wooden boards. His eyes widened. She's right…
Lerato scanned the room, her light catching on an old carpet. She rushed over and ripped it aside, revealing a trapdoor. Thick iron hinges rusted and groaning, it looked ancient.
You think we should open that? Thabo asked, clearly uneasy.We don't have a choice, Lerato replied. If we want to end this, we have to go deeper.
The trapdoor creaked open, revealing a narrow staircase that led into blackness. The scent hit them instantly damp soil, mold, and something else… decay.
They descended slowly, the stairs groaning under their weight. Each step seemed to echo forever, swallowed by the darkness. The walls were close, almost hugging them. Then, at the bottom they saw it.
A long tunnel, carved from earth and stone, lit only by the dim beam of Lerato's flashlight. The whispers were louder here, clearer. Children. Women. Men. Crying. Pleading. Screaming.Simo clutched Lerato's arm. This isn't just a house. It's a graveyard.No, she said. It's a prison.
They moved forward, hearts pounding. Along the walls, faces emerged from the dirt human faces. Half-formed. Trapped. Eyes wide in silent terror.Don't look, Lerato whispered. But it was too late.Thabo turned. One of the faces blinked.Simo screamed. RUN!
The ground shifted, arms sprouted from the earth, grabbing at their ankles. Ghostly, decayed fingers clutching, clawing, desperate to pull them down.Lerato swung the flashlight, smashing one of the arms. Keep moving!
They pushed through the tunnel, the walls now groaning like living things. Roots writhed from the ceiling like veins. Blood dripped from them.
Then the tunnel opened into a vast underground chamber.
Torches flickered to life on their own, illuminating a massive circular room. In the center stood a stone altar, and behind it… a figure.
Tall. Thin. Wrapped in tattered cloth. Its face was covered in shadow, but its presence was unbearable.You've come, it said in a voice that was not one, but hundreds all speaking at once.
Lerato stepped forward. We're not afraid of you.The figure laughed, dry and hollow. But they were. And fear feeds me. Your fear will be my feast.Simo shouted, Why us? Why this house?
The figure pointed a long, gnarled finger toward Lerato.She is the key.Lerato froze. What do you mean?You carry the blood of the first, it said. "The one who bound me here. The curse was never broken. Only delayed.
Thabo's voice was trembling. How do we stop this?The figure raised its arms. The torches flared. The earth shook.You can't.The faces in the walls began to scream.
Lerato looked down at the altar. Symbols were carved into the stone some glowing faintly.Help me!she shouted, pressing her hands against the stone, trying to read the markings.
Simo and Thabo stood guard, fending off the writhing arms rising from the ground. Ghosts materialized thin, skeletal shapes, wailing, clawing at them.I need time! Lerato cried.
She began chanting something she didn't understand, something that came from deep within. The symbols glowed brighter. The ground cracked.The figure shrieked. NO!
The chamber began collapsing.The spirits turned to smoke, vanishing into the earth. The walls groaned one last time and then silence.
The figure was gone.Lerato collapsed to her knees, gasping.Thabo rushed to her side. Are you okay?She nodded weakly. I think… it's over.
But as they turned to leave, the walls whispered one last time:
It never ends.