The house by the lake had been abandoned for decades, yet tonight, the windows flickered with light.
Drawn by curiosity, footsteps crept closer. The air was heavy, thick with decay. The door groaned open, revealing a dim, damp hall. At the end of it, a single room was flooded—water pooling around the rotting floorboards.
Then, the voice.
Soft at first, like a distant whisper beneath the water. "Help me..."
It grew louder with each step, more desperate.
Suddenly, the water stirred. A figure emerged from the depths, pale, drenched, and broken—eyes wide, mouth agape, but no sound escaping.
It reached out with wet fingers, dragging the intruder into the water's depths.
In the stillness, only bubbles and a faint whisper remained. "You are mine now..."
The house stood silent again, save for the slow rise and fall of the water. As the moonlight cast its glow through the broken windows, the surface of the water began to ripple once more—its once-drowned eyes now reflecting the same gaze of those who had come before.