The Gateway of Salvation, Part 3

Sarah let out a scream and grabbed Chris’s hand, pulling him toward the exit.

“We need to get help, NOW!”

They rushed upstairs, their hearts pounding, but as soon as they reached the main door, it slammed shut on its own with a deafening BANG!

Sarah banged on the door desperately, screaming for help.

“Let us out!”

Suddenly, Chris’s eyes darted to the staircase.

There… at the top…

A shadowy figure stood motionless, staring down at them. It was tall and featureless, yet its presence radiated an unbearable darkness.

“Sarah… we’re not alone,” Chris whispered, his voice barely audible.

The figure began to move… slowly descending the stairs, each step deliberate and ominous.

Sarah and Chris backed away, frozen in fear as the figure reached the bottom step.

It whispered in a bone-chilling voice:

“You shouldn’t have come back…”

Sarah and Chris stood paralyzed with fear as the shadowy figure slowly descended the staircase. The dim light from Chris’s phone flickered, casting distorted shadows across the walls.

“You shouldn’t have come back…”

The chilling whisper echoed through the room, sending a wave of terror through their bodies. Sarah clutched Chris’s arm tightly, her nails digging into his skin.

“Chris… what do we do?” she whispered; her voice barely audible over the pounding of her heart.

Chris swallowed hard; his eyes fixed on the figure. “We have to get out of here,” he muttered.

Suddenly, the figure took another step forward, and with each movement, the room grew colder. An unnatural wind howled through the hall, rattling the windows violently.

Summoning all their courage, Chris grabbed Sarah’s hand and made a dash for the kitchen door, hoping for another way out. As they reached the entrance, a sudden force slammed the door shut in front of them, trapping them inside.

Sarah screamed. “Let us out! Please!”

The whispers grew louder, swirling around them, filling the air with an eerie chant that sounded like an ancient prayer.

“What does it want?” Chris gasped, his breath ragged.

Sarah’s trembling hand reached for her phone, and she frantically dialled Emily’s number again. To her shock, the call connected—but what she heard made her blood run cold.

On the other end of the line, a distorted voice whispered:

“You should have left her… now she belongs to us.”

Tears welled up in Sarah’s eyes as she choked back a sob. “Emily! Please, where are you?”

The voice responded with chilling clarity, “She’s here… waiting… with us…”

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream echoed from the lower floor. Sarah and Chris’s eyes widened in horror.

“Emily!” Sarah screamed, sprinting toward the stairs.

Chris tried to hold her back, but she broke free and rushed down. The staircase seemed longer, endless, but she didn’t stop. She finally reached the bottom and saw a dimly lit corridor. The smell of incense grew stronger, and faint chanting filled the air.

At the end of the corridor stood Emily.

Her back was turned, and she stood eerily still.

“Emily…?” Sarah whispered, stepping closer.

As she placed a hand on Emily’s shoulder, Emily slowly turned around.

Sarah’s heart stopped.

Emily’s eyes were wide, hollow, and lifeless. Her face was pale, lips slightly parted as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t. Suddenly, Emily whispered in a monotonous tone:

“He’s here…”

Before Sarah could react, a shadow loomed behind Emily. A tall, faceless figure, draped in black, reached out toward them.

“RUN!” Chris yelled, pulling Sarah back up the stairs.

As they sprinted toward the main door, they could hear heavy footsteps chasing them, the whispers turning into agonized wails. They reached the front door, and Chris frantically tried to unlock it.

With one last desperate pull, the door flung open, and they tumbled outside.

Sarah looked back one last time—inside, she saw Emily standing at the window, her vacant eyes staring back at her.

Then, the door slammed shut on its own, sealing the house in silence.

Two days later…

The police found no trace of Emily inside the house. Her belongings were intact, but it was as if she had vanished without a trace.

Sarah, devastated and shaken, tried to tell the authorities what had happened, but they dismissed it as paranoia.

Chris, still haunted by the events, researched the history of the house. What he discovered left him speechless—several people had gone missing in that very house; all having stayed alone… near The Gateway of Salvation.

Rumours spoke of restless spirits, trapped between life and death, seeking company to pass on their torment.

But one thing was clear—Emily was now a part of it.

And the house was waiting for its next visitor.