Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

The stairs stretched upward into darkness, impossibly long, as if the house itself was shifting, growing, trapping them within its nightmare. Each step groaned under their weight, the air thick with the scent of mold, decay, and something older—something wrong.

Elias flicked his lighter. The flame flickered weakly, casting dancing shadows against the warped walls. "I swear this place is breathing."

Mira clutched the Cursed Book, her fingers tracing its burned leather cover. "It might be."

A low thump echoed from above.

Zara's knife was already in her hand. "We're not alone."

Draven cocked his shotgun. "We never are."

The staircase ended abruptly, leading to a long hallway lined with doors. Each one was identical, save for the last—a massive black door, its surface etched with symbols that pulsed like veins beneath flesh.

Mira's breath hitched. "That's it."

But before they could move, the whispers returned.

"He is watching."

A shadow stretched from the ceiling, twisting, elongating into something skeletal and wrong.

And then, The Hollow One stepped forward.

His body was a void, shifting like liquid shadow, his face featureless—save for two gaping holes where eyes should be. He moved without sound, gliding across the floor, too tall, too thin, too unnatural.

His head tilted as he regarded them. Then, in a voice that sounded like a chorus of the damned, he spoke.

"You should not have come."

Draven fired—but the shot disappeared into the Hollow One's form, swallowed like water into sand.

The creature lunged.

Zara barely dodged, rolling across the floor as black tendrils lashed out, splintering the wood where she stood.

Elias hurled a bottle of whiskey, flicking his lighter mid-air. The fire exploded, licking against the Hollow One's form—but the flames did nothing.

Mira flipped through the Book, hands shaking. "He's bound to this house. We need to sever the connection!"

The Hollow One towered over her, reaching out with fingers like rusted blades.

And then—he stopped.

His empty eyes locked onto the Book, his form shuddering violently.

Mira's breath caught. "The Book… he knows it."

Draven grabbed her arm. "Then use it!"

Mira whispered an incantation, her voice like a blade cutting through the darkness. The symbols on the black door pulsed faster, responding to her words.

The Hollow One screamed—a sound that rattled the walls.

His form began to unravel, the shadows peeling away, revealing something beneath—something human.

For a split second, they saw his real face.

And then he was gone.

The house shuddered. The black door creaked open, revealing a spiraling abyss beyond.

Zara exhaled. "We're really doing this, huh?"

Draven stepped forward. "No turning back now."