"Don’t leave my side, okay?" her brother whispered, his voice laced with unease.
She nodded, her heart pounding louder than her footsteps as they retraced their way to the campsite. The temperature become colder with every step.
"Wait, was there a house and another path when we came this way? That wasn’t here earlier," Dylan murmured.
The group turned as one, their eyes locking onto the old house that loomed out of nowhere. It was unsettlingly large, with a faint, flickering light emanating from within.
"Damn it! The flashlight’s dead. How are we supposed to find our way back now? And our phones—left them at the campsite," Sadie hissed, frustration lacing her words.
Ethan and Lila exchanged wary glances, their apprehension thick in the cold air.
"Let’s keep going," Ethan urged.
"Maybe we should ask at that house?" Aria suggested.
But Ethan pressed on, not willing to admit the gnawing fear growing in his gut. The others reluctantly followed, the oppressive silence pressing down on them like a weight.
Minutes ticked by, and yet, the campsite remained difficult to find, swallowed by the encroaching darkness.
"Oh, for the love of— I’m exhausted! I can’t go any further," Sadie groaned, collapsing onto the damp ground, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
"Tsk, you’re probably starting to smell," Dylan joked weakly, but there was no humor in his voice.
"Maybe it’s you who stinks!" Sadie teased back.
"Brother, we’re all tired. Let’s just try asking at that house," Ivy’s small voice pierced the tense silence, her finger trembling as she pointed toward the ominous structure.
They all froze, their eyes widening as realization dawned.
"That’s the same house. We’ve been going in circles," Aria whispered.
Ethan’s heart dropped. Midnight was creeping closer, and with it, a sense of threatening.
"Ethan, we can’t keep this up. We need to try the house," Lila urged.
Left with no other choice, Ethan nodded reluctantly, the weight of their decision heavy in the cold night air.
As they approached the old house, an unsettling silence seemed to shroud the place. Ivy’s heart raced as they knocked on the weathered door.
"It doesn’t seem like anyone’s here," Sadie whispered.
"Or maybe it’s not a person," Dylan muttered darkly, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.
Ivy take him a look, their eyes locking in the dim light. For a moment, fear flickered in her gaze.
"Just kidding," Dylan said quickly, flashing a wide smile, though it did little to ease the tension. 
Ivy blushed, but in the inky darkness, he couldn’t see her reaction. Only the ghostly light of the moon bathed them in its cold glow.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, revealing an old man standing in the doorway. Ivy’s breath caught in her throat as she gazed at him, a strange sensation of déjà vu washing over her. It was as if she had seen him before, but the memory was distant and blurred.
"Come in," the old man’s voice cut through the silence, commanding yet calm, as if he’d been expecting them.
The man was tall, his skin lined with deep wrinkles, and the firelight from within cast strange shadows on his face. Ivy glanced around the dim interior, noticing the emptiness, there was no one else here. Only the flickering flames from the firelight illuminated the room.
"Are you cooking, Grandpa?" Aria asked hesitantly, her eyes darting to the crackling fire.
"My name is Aiden," the old man corrected with a slight smile.
"Grandpa Aiden…" Aria repeated, the name lingering in the air.
He chuckled softly, a sound that sent shivers down Ivy’s spine. "Are you being played with?" he asked, his tone dripping with an ominous undertone.
Ivy’s confusion deepened, and when she looked at Ethan, his eyes were locked onto the old man, cold and untrusting. She instinctively reached for his hand, and he squeezed hers reassuringly, but his gaze never wavered.
"Played with?" Sadie asked, puzzled.
The man scooped some food and placed it on the wooden table.
Without another word, the old man serve some stew into a bowl and placed it on the worn wooden table. "Eat first. It’s late… you can rest here tonight. There are rooms upstairs. I’m alone here."
"We’re still full, Grandpa Aiden," Lila interjected politely.
"Huh? Full? Have—" Aria began, but Ethan cut her off sharply.
"We’re still full!" Ethan’s tone was firm, his expression leaving no room for argument.
They had no choice but to nod and obeyed at Ethan’s serious unspoken command.
"Really? Oh well, that's a pity, but alright... just go upstairs, and you'll see two doors. Those are the rooms," Grandpa Aiden said with a faint smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Thank you, Grandpa Aiden," Lila replied, bowing her head respectfully, though the unease in her voice was unmistakable.
Grandpa Aiden merely smiled in return.
As they ascended the creaking stairs, a heavy silence settled over them. Ethan insisted on staying with Ivy, so the siblings and Lila ended up in one room, while Dylan, Sadie, and Aria took the other.
"Doesn't this place make you curious?" Lila whispered once they were behind closed doors.
Ivy shrugged, trying to hide the unease gnawing at her.
"He cooked so much food, yet he claims he's alone here. And there are so many rooms... but he's the only one," Lila continued, her whisper tinged with suspicion.
Ethan, already on edge, grabbed a blanket and pillow, laying them on the floor. "Just go to sleep. I'll keep watch."
"But, brother, you're exhausted," Ivy protested, worry lining her voice.
"So stop being stubborn and sleep," Ethan shot back, his tone brooking no argument.
Ivy pouted but reluctantly crawled into bed, pulling the covers over her head. 
Lila joined her, lying down with a sigh. "Wake me if anything happens," she murmured, her voice fading as exhaustion took over.
Ethan settled on the floor, his eyes fixed on the wooden ceiling, fighting off the pull of sleep.
Hours passed in an oppressive stillness, the silence almost suffocating. Ivy lay wide awake, unable to shake the feeling that something was wrong. The quiet was too thick, too unnatural.
Then, the sound of footsteps echoed through the old house—slow, deliberate, each creak of the wooden steps. 
She tensed, squeezing her eyes shut as the door creaked open. She held her breath, willing herself to stay still as the door clicked shut again.
But curiosity got the better of her. Carefully, she slipped out of bed, making sure not to wake Ethan or Lila. She tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear against it.
"They're just kids," a man’s voice, soft and unfamiliar, drifted through the door. It wasn’t Grandpa Aiden.
Ivy's heart raced faster.
"Are you letting your emotions cloud your judgment?" The old man’s voice cut through the air, sharper than before. "If we don’t do this, they’ll be the ones to disturb us."
"They've already been disturbing us for a long time. You could fight them off like you did before," the younger man argued, his voice laced with urgency.
"I’m old now and I can’t fight them anymore," Grandpa Aiden replied, his tone tinged with a weariness Ivy hadn’t noticed earlier. "They... they’re the reason those things were freed again."
"Maybe if you tell them, they’ll help us, Father," the younger man suggested, desperation creeping into his voice.
Her mind raced to make sense of the conversation, but the more she heard, the more confused she became.
Her hands trembled as she backed away from the door, the weight of what she’d overheard pressing down on her. They weren’t just visitors in this house, they were part of something much bigger, something dangerous. And it was only a matter of time before they were dragged into it.