Chapter 4 The First Glitch in Reality

Nightfall descended over Ravenwood like a thick, suffocating blanket, casting the town in shadows. The streetlights flickered to life one by one, their pale glow casting long shadows that danced eerily on the cobblestone streets. Alex had returned to the house after their visit to Dr. Grayson's clinic, but they couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Something off. The quiet of the house felt oppressive, the stillness in the air unnerving.

Ellie had insisted they go to bed early to rest, but sleep didn't come easily. Alex tossed and turned in the unfamiliar bed, their mind racing with questions. The town, the people, the strange, constant smiles-it was all too much to ignore. And then there were the whispers, faint but persistent, like the sound of someone calling them from far away. But when they tried to listen more closely, the sound disappeared, leaving only an unsettling silence in its wake.

After what felt like hours of restless tossing, Alex finally slipped out of bed, unable to bear the claustrophobic quiet of the room any longer. The house was dark, save for the dim light spilling from the hallway. They crept down the stairs, careful not to make a sound, and found themselves drawn toward the basement.

It was as if the whispers were calling them there, pulling them into the depths of the house where the secrets seemed to lie. The door to the basement was ajar, just slightly, like it was waiting for them. Alex hesitated, but curiosity pushed them forward.

The basement air was thick, heavy with the scent of must and age. The low, rhythmic hum of the town's distant sounds felt muffled here, swallowed by the layers of old wood and stone. Alex stepped carefully down the stairs, their heart pounding in their chest. The whispers were louder now, not quite words, but voices rising from the shadows, pulling at the edges of their consciousness.

"Hello?" Alex called softly, the sound of their voice unnervingly loud in the otherwise silent space.

No answer.

The basement seemed to stretch on forever, filled with old furniture covered in sheets, boxes of forgotten belongings, and forgotten relics of a life that didn't seem to belong to Alex. They stepped farther in, eyes scanning the shadows, and that's when they saw it-a figure, barely visible in the corner. A shadow that seemed to move on its own, flickering like a flame in the dark.

Alex froze. The figure didn't move, but Alex felt it-it was watching them.

The figure didn't speak. It didn't need to. The presence of it was enough to make Alex's skin crawl. The whispers seemed to grow louder, more insistent, as if urging Alex to move closer.

But before they could take another step, a sudden noise from the house above startled them-a door creaking open. The figure vanished in an instant, as if it had never been there at all.

"Alex?" Ellie's voice came from upstairs, filled with concern. "What are you doing down there?"

Alex's pulse quickened. They didn't know how to answer, didn't know what to say.

"Just... I heard something," Alex called back, their voice shaking slightly.

Ellie appeared at the top of the stairs, silhouetted against the light of the hallway. Her face was filled with worry, but there was something else in her expression-something that felt rehearsed, too perfect. Too calm.

"Come back upstairs. You need rest," she said, her voice soft but firm.

Alex stared up at her, hesitation lingering in their chest. They wanted to ask about the shadow, the whispers, but something told them that asking wouldn't lead to the answers they needed. It would only lead to more silence. More smiles.

They nodded and turned away from the basement, following Ellie back upstairs. But the feeling of being watched didn't leave them.

As they lay back down in bed, their mind refused to quiet. The whispers still echoed in their ears, and the shadow in the basement lingered in their thoughts. They tossed and turned again, unable to escape the sense that something was wrong.

Then, a sharp crack echoed through the house. A noise that didn't belong.

Alex sat up, heart racing, their gaze drawn to the window. A shadow-something moving in the distance. In the woods, just beyond the edge of the town. It was faint at first, a flicker of motion against the dark trees, but then it grew clearer. A figure standing still, watching.

Alex's breath caught in their throat. The figure was tall, dark against the night sky, and it didn't move. It only watched.

For a moment, Alex was frozen, unable to tear their eyes away from the figure. And then, just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, swallowed by the darkness of the forest.

What was that?

Alex jumped out of bed, rushing to the window, but by the time they got there, the figure was gone. There was no sign of movement in the trees, no trace that anything had ever been there at all.

But Alex couldn't shake the feeling that the figure was still out there, watching, waiting.

The unease gnawed at them as they stood at the window, looking into the darkness, but then their eyes were drawn back to the room. To the bookshelf in the corner of the room. A photo, tucked between two others, caught their eye.

It was an old photograph-black and white, worn at the edges. It showed Alex and Ellie, their smiles wide, their arms wrapped around each other, but there was something wrong about it. Something off. The clothes they were wearing didn't fit with the time. The styles were old-too old. It looked like a photo from the 1920s.

Alex's heart stopped as they stared at the image. It was impossible. They had no memory of this photo. No memory of a time like this. But there they were-Alex, unchanged, standing next to Ellie, the same woman who claimed to be their wife.

How could this be?

The photo was a glitch in reality. A moment that shouldn't exist. And yet, here it was, staring back at them.

Alex's mind spun, the questions multiplying. Who am I? Who is Ellie? What is this place?

The darkness outside the window pressed in on them, and the whispers in the basement grew louder once again, as if urging Alex to remember-to understand.

But Alex didn't know if they were ready to face the truth.

Not yet.

And so, they sat in the silence of the night, staring at the photo, as the house whispered its secrets.