Chapter 6 - The Ghost in the Hallway
Midnight descended upon Ashford Manor, turning the sprawling estate into a silent labyrinth of shadows and expensive antiques.
Holland slipped quietly out of his guest bedroom bed, his bare feet making no sound against the thick Persian runner in the corridor.
He didn't want to go back to his room where the memories of the dark basement clung to the walls like spiderwebs.
Instead, he walked toward the western wing, drawn by an invisible thread toward the maid’s room where the hidden hatch had been discovered.
The police tape had been removed, but the door remained locked with a heavy padlock supplied by the estate security team.
Holland pressed his ear against the wooden panel, holding his breath as the old house creaked in the night wind.
“Looking for something, little bird?”
May you like
A soft, velvet voice drifted from the darkness behind him, freezing the blood in Holland’s veins.
He turned around slowly to find Celeste standing at the end of the hallway, bathed in the pale moonlight pouring through the tall arched window.
