Gemotions

The musty scent of mothballs and lavender hit Clara the second she stepped over the threshold. Her hand flew to her chest, a sudden pressure squeezing the air from her lungs. This old place. She hadn't been back since the funeral, and everything felt…wrong. Dust motes danced in the lone ray of sunlight piercing the gloom.

"Hello?" she called, her voice thin and reedy, cracking slightly. Silence was the only reply. The floorboards groaned beneath her weight as she hesitantly moved further inside. She needed to find her brother, Leo. He'd probably wandered off already, inspecting something.

The shadows seemed to stretch and shift as she walked down the hall, as if watching her. She gripped her purse tighter, her knuckles white against the worn leather. A cold shiver crawled up her spine, prickling her skin.