Beyond The Walls

----

----

----

Jack stood before the decrepit mansion, its grandeur lost to time. He had been searching for Dawn everywhere, and a cryptic message led him to this forgotten place. The locals avoided it, whispering tales of the Smith family's tragic demise fifty years ago.

As he stepped inside, a chill crept up his spine. Dust coated everything, and cobwebs clung to his face. "Dawn?" he called out, but only silence replied.

He explored room after room until he stumbled upon a door hidden behind a tattered tapestry. The air inside was heavy, weighted with grief. And there, on a worn couch, lay Dawn.

But something was wrong. Her skin was pale, her eyes sunken. Jack's heart sank as he realized she was dead.

Suddenly, whispers enveloped him, a sorrowful melody. The walls seemed to shift, revealing photographs of the Smith family. Their faces, once full of life, now frozen in terror.

Dawn's eyes flickered open. "Jack, I've been waiting."

"You're...you're dead," Jack stammered.

"I've been trapped here, but sometimes I escape," Dawn's voice was barely audible. "I've been searching for you."

As Jack watched in horror, Dawn's body began to change. Her skin decayed, her eyes turned hollow.

"Stay with me," Dawn's whisper grew urgent. "Join me and my family. We'll be together forever."

The whispers grew louder, a haunting chorus. Jack felt the walls closing in.

"No!" Jack tried to flee, but the doors vanished.

Dawn's voice whispered in his ear, "Forever, Jack."

The darkness consumed him.

The next morning, police found Jack's car, engine still running. But he was never seen again.

Locals whispered of the Smith family's new member, forever trapped within those haunted walls.