The night air was thick with tension as the Keating 5 prepared for bed, the day's eerie experiences and the heavy burden of the cold case swirling in their minds. Michaela, feeling the weight of leadership, decided it was a good time to update Annalise Keating on their progress—or lack thereof.
Retreating to the quiet of the living room, she dialed Annalise's number, her fingers hesitating slightly before pressing call. The phone barely rang twice before Annalise picked up.
"Michaela, what's the update?" Annalise's voice was direct, with an undercurrent of concern.
Michaela cleared her throat, steadying her voice. "We met with the Bartholomew County Police Department today. The case... there's a lot to unravel. But we're getting there."
"And?" Annalise's intuition sensed there was more Michaela wasn't saying.
"And... that's pretty much it. We're just settling in, going to start fresh tomorrow," Michaela replied, carefully skirting around the visit to the tarot card reader.
There was a pause on the line. "Did you go to that tarot card reading?" Annalise's question was unexpected, catching Michaela off guard.
"No, no, of course not. We're focused on the case, Annalise," Michaela lied, her voice betraying a hint of defensiveness.
"Good. Remember why you're there. Don't get distracted," Annalise cautioned, her voice softening slightly. "Keep me posted."
"We will. Goodnight, Annalise." Michaela ended the call, a sigh escaping her lips. She hadn't anticipated lying to Annalise, but the fear of disappointment—or worse, disapproval—had made her conceal the truth.
Returning to her room, Michaela found herself unable to shake off the unease that had settled over her. The lie, though seemingly small, felt like a betrayal of the trust Annalise had placed in them.
As the others settled into their rooms, the house creaked and sighed around them, as if alive with secrets of its own. In the silence, their thoughts were loud—each grappling with the day's revelations, the haunting implications of the tarot cards, and the unsettling lie now hanging between them and Annalise.
Connor, always sensitive to the group's dynamics, noticed Michaela's troubled expression when she returned to her room. Knocking softly on her door, he asked, "Everything okay with Annalise?"
Michaela hesitated, then nodded, not wanting to burden Connor with her guilt. "Yeah, just updating her. She's... she's counting on us, Connor."
Connor sensed the tension in her voice. "We won't let her down. We never have." His attempt at reassurance felt hollow in the shadowy light of their Airbnb.
Across the hall, Asher lay awake, staring at the ceiling, the "Death" card's imagery burned into his thoughts. The silence of the night was a stark contrast to the turmoil within, each creak and whisper of the house amplifying his fears.
Laurel and Oliver, too, found sleep elusive, their minds racing with the day's events and the uncertain path ahead. The decision to visit the tarot card reader, though made out of a mix of curiosity and defiance, now seemed to cast a long shadow over their mission.
As Asher lay in bed, his thoughts consumed by the ominous "Death" card from the tarot reading earlier that day, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at him like a persistent itch. The room was cloaked in darkness, the only illumination coming from the faint glow of the moon seeping through the curtains.
Every creak of the floorboards, every rustle of the wind outside, seemed to echo in Asher's ears, amplifying his growing sense of dread. He couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—was watching him, their presence lingering just beyond the edge of his perception.
With a deep breath, Asher pushed aside the covers and swung his legs out of bed, his bare feet meeting the cool wooden floor. He padded silently across the room, his senses on high alert.
The hallway outside his bedroom was shrouded in shadows, the only sound the faint hum of the air conditioning. Asher hesitated for a moment before venturing out into the darkness, his heart pounding in his chest.
He checked each room, peering into the bathroom and scanning the hallway, but found nothing out of the ordinary. The house was eerily quiet, the only movement the shifting shadows cast by the moonlight.
Feeling foolish for his paranoia, Asher returned to his room and locked the door behind him, a sense of unease still lingering in the air. He climbed back into bed, pulling the covers tight around him as if seeking refuge from the invisible specter that seemed to haunt him.
As he lay there in the darkness, the weight of the day's events pressing down on him, Asher couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, that unseen eyes followed his every move. It was a sensation that clawed at his sanity, leaving him feeling vulnerable and exposed in the silence of the night.
With a sigh, Asher closed his eyes and tried to push the unsettling thoughts from his mind.
As the night settled in, the historic Airbnb in Columbus, Indiana, was enveloped in an eerie stillness. Michaela, exhausted from the day's events, sought solace in her nightly self-care routine. She lit scented candles, filled the air with soft music, and indulged in a soothing skincare regimen, hoping to ease the tension that had settled deep within her.
As she applied her favorite face mask, the rhythmic knocking on her bedroom door shattered the tranquil ambiance. Startled, Michaela froze, her heart pounding in her chest. She glanced towards the door, her mind racing with possibilities.
"Maybe it's just one of the others," she muttered to herself, trying to rationalize the unexplained sound.
With cautious steps, Michaela approached the door, her breath catching in her throat. She hesitated, her hand hovering over the doorknob, before finally mustering the courage to open it.
To her surprise, the hallway outside her room was deserted, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight streaming through the windows. There was no sign of anyone, no trace of the source of the mysterious knocking.
A shiver ran down Michaela's spine as she stepped into the hallway, her senses on high alert. "Hello?" she called out, her voice barely above a whisper.
Silence greeted her, broken only by the faint hum of the air conditioning. Michaela's pulse quickened as she scanned the hallway, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow, searching for any sign of movement.
Feeling a growing sense of unease, Michaela retreated back into her room and locked the door behind her. She leaned against the cool surface, her mind racing with unanswered questions. What could have caused the knocking? And why did it seem to come out of nowhere, on the second night of their stay?
Shaking her head, Michaela tried to dismiss the unsettling thoughts that plagued her mind. Perhaps it was just the old house settling, or a trick of her overactive imagination. Whatever the reason, she resolved to put it out of her mind and focus on getting some much-needed rest.
As she climbed into bed and pulled the covers tight around her, Michaela couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, of unseen eyes lingering just beyond the edge of her perception. But with a deep breath and a silent prayer for peace, she closed her eyes and surrendered to the embrace of sleep, hoping that the night would bring respite from the unexplained terrors that lurked in the darkness.