Chloe Rice brushed her long blonde hair in front of the mirror in her new bedroom. The house smelled faintly of fresh paint and wood polish, a sharp contrast to the chaos of moving earlier that day. She and Zach Dempsey had worked tirelessly to unpack the essentials, but there were still boxes stacked in the corners of every room. She was exhausted, but a sense of excitement lingered—starting fresh in Columbus, Indiana, was the new chapter they both needed.
She slipped into her soft pajama set, ready to collapse into bed, when she heard it. A faint knock. It was soft, almost hesitant, coming from the hallway just outside her bedroom door. Chloe smiled to herself, shaking her head. "Zach," she muttered under her breath. He probably needed something.
She walked to the door and opened it. "Zach, if you forgot where the towels are—" She stopped mid-sentence. The hallway was empty. The overhead light cast soft shadows against the hardwood floors, and the door to Zach's room, just down the hall, was closed.
"Zach?" she called out, her voice louder this time. No response. Confused, Chloe stepped out into the hallway and knocked lightly on his door. "Zach, were you knocking on my door just now?" Still nothing. She turned the knob and peeked inside. Zach was sprawled out on his bed, headphones on, eyes closed. His phone glowed faintly on the nightstand.
"Seriously?" she whispered to herself. She closed his door quietly, shaking her head. Maybe she'd imagined it.
Back in her room, Chloe locked the door, a habit she'd picked up back in high school when her anxiety would creep in during sleepless nights. She climbed into bed, pulling the covers tightly around her. The house was old, she reasoned. Old houses creaked and groaned. That's all it was.
She was just starting to drift off when the knocking returned. This time, it was louder and more deliberate. Three sharp raps, as though someone wanted her attention. Her heart leapt into her throat, and she sat up straight in bed.
"Zach?" she called again, louder now. "Is that you?"
No answer. The knocking came again, this time more insistent. Chloe's hands trembled as she reached for her phone on the nightstand. The screen lit up, revealing no new messages or calls. Her breathing quickened. This wasn't normal. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, feeling the cold wood floor beneath her bare feet. She grabbed her phone tightly in one hand and slowly approached the door.
She hesitated for a moment, her hand hovering over the doorknob. Then she opened it. The hallway was just as empty as before, the silence deafening. Her chest tightened as she stepped out, her eyes darting from one end of the hallway to the other. The faint sound of Zach's music filtered through his door, a soft and steady reminder that he was still sound asleep.
A sudden chill washed over her, making her shiver. She turned back toward her room, deciding that it was just her imagination. But as she turned, she froze. A faint shadow moved at the end of the hallway, near the staircase. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but it was there.
"Hello?" Chloe's voice cracked as she called out. Her fingers tightened around her phone, and she activated the flashlight, shining it toward the stairs. The light illuminated nothing but the dark wooden banister and the shadows of the living room below.
"Get a grip, Chloe," she whispered to herself, backing into her room and locking the door once again. She climbed back into bed, her heart racing. She tried to convince herself it was nothing—a trick of the light, her imagination running wild in a new house. She curled up under the covers, determined to fall asleep.
The knocking didn't come again, but she couldn't shake the feeling that someone—or something—had been in the hallway with her.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the windows as Chloe groggily made her way to the kitchen. Zach was already there, wearing a hoodie and basketball shorts, a bowl of cereal in his hand.
"Morning, roomie," he said, grinning as he leaned against the counter. "You look like you didn't sleep at all."
Chloe poured herself a cup of coffee, her hands still slightly shaky. "I didn't. I heard knocking on my door last night."
Zach raised an eyebrow. "Knocking? I didn't hear anything."
"You had your headphones on," she replied, taking a sip of coffee. "It wasn't you?"
"Uh, no," he said, frowning. "Why would I knock and then not answer? That's creepy."
Chloe's stomach sank. "Zach, I swear it wasn't my imagination. I heard it. And then… I thought I saw something. A shadow, at the end of the hall."
Zach put his cereal down and crossed his arms. "Okay, that's weird. Are you sure you weren't dreaming?"
"I wasn't dreaming," she insisted, her voice firm. "Something isn't right about this house."
Zach's playful demeanor faded, and he nodded. "Alright. Tonight, I'll stay up. If it happens again, we'll figure out what's going on."
Chloe gave him a small smile, grateful for his support. But as she sipped her coffee, she couldn't shake the feeling that whatever had happened last night wasn't over. Something had knocked on her door, and whatever it was, it wasn't done with her yet.