The sound of pounding on the attic door was met with an eerie silence that settled heavily over the Johnson family. Tom’s frantic shouts echoed in the dimness, but there was no response.

“Mom, we have to help him!” Emma urged, her voice quivering with fear.

“I can’t just leave him there!” Sarah replied, trying to mask her own panic. “We need to find another way up.”

With a determined nod, Emma led Jake towards the back of the house, where they had noticed a narrow staircase spiraling upward during their exploration earlier. It seemed old and unstable, but they had no choice. The atmosphere crackled with a tension that pulled at their very core.

As they ascended the creaking steps, shadows loomed around them, darkening the corners of the narrow hall. The wooden banister felt cold beneath Sarah’s grip, as if it had absorbed the chill of the house over decades. The air was thick with an unsettling energy that made every hair on her body stand on end.

They reached the top and found themselves in a dimly lit corridor lined with closed doors. The faintest sound of Tom’s voice filtered through the silence, urging them to hurry. They approached the door to the attic, where the candlelight had flickered before.

“Tom!” Emma called out, knocking on the door. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“It won’t open!” he shouted back, his voice strained. “I think something’s holding it shut.”

Fear coursed through Sarah. “Hold on! We’re coming!” she shouted, but her heart raced as the walls around them seemed to pulse with a dark energy.

With no other options, Emma pushed against the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “We have to find another way in!” she said, glancing around. “What about the window?”

Nodding in agreement, they turned to the nearest window at the end of the hall. It was old and dusty, the glass fogged over. Emma shoved it open with a grunt, the sound echoing eerily in the corridor.

“Be careful!” Sarah cautioned as her children clambered onto the windowsill, squeezing through into the attic. She followed close behind, her heart pounding in her chest.

Inside the attic, the air was thick with dust and a damp, earthy smell. The candle flickered weakly, illuminating Tom, who was hunched against the far wall, his face pale with shock.

“What happened?” Sarah gasped, rushing to his side.

“I don’t know,” Tom panted, eyes wide. “The door slammed shut, and then I felt... something. It was like a force was pushing me back. I couldn’t get it open.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted. A chilling breeze swept through the attic, extinguishing the candle and plunging them into darkness. The sound of footsteps echoed from the far side of the room, causing the family to freeze.

“Did you hear that?” Jake whispered, gripping his sister’s arm tightly.

Before anyone could respond, the soft glow of a faint light appeared at the corner of the attic, illuminating a child’s silhouette. It was a boy, no older than ten, with wild hair and an expression that radiated anger. The light flickered, and his features shifted—an unsettling grin curling at the edges of his mouth.

“Who are you?” Emma cried out, her voice trembling.

The boy didn’t answer. Instead, he moved closer, his dark eyes filled with a rage that sent chills down their spines.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” he hissed, his voice echoing ominously. “This is my house!”

“Leave us alone!” Sarah shouted, stepping protectively in front of her children. “We didn’t mean to disturb you!”

The boy let out a chilling laugh that resonated within the walls, twisting the air around them. “Disturb me? You’re here to take my home!”

The shadows seemed to grow thicker, wrapping around the family as the boy raised his hands. Objects began to fly across the room—old toys, a dusty picture frame, a rusted lantern—until they shattered against the walls, each crash reverberating through the attic like thunder.

“Stop it!” Tom yelled, but the boy only laughed harder, reveling in their fear.

Suddenly, the floorboards creaked ominously beneath them, and a section of the ceiling above began to collapse, dust and debris raining down. “You’ll never leave!” the boy screeched, and with a furious wave of his hand, the door behind them slammed shut again, trapping them inside.

In a moment of desperation, Sarah grabbed her children and ran toward the window. “We have to jump!” she shouted, adrenaline coursing through her veins.

“No!” Tom protested, but there was no time for hesitation. They had to escape the boy’s wrath.

With one last glance at the furious spirit, Sarah pushed Emma and Jake through the window before following. They landed hard on the grass outside, gasping for air as they scrambled to their feet. The house loomed behind them, dark and foreboding, as the boy’s laughter echoed through the air, a sinister reminder that they were not alone.

“Mom, what was that?” Jake asked, tears streaming down his cheeks.

“I don’t know,” Sarah admitted, her heart racing. “But we need to get away from here.”

As they hurried toward the road, a chilling realization sank in: they had awakened something ancient and malevolent, and Karl was not finished with them yet.