Chapter 8 - Chapter 11: The Heart Beneath

The house was a labyrinth now, its halls stretching and twisting in ways that defied logic. Gigi, Sheree, and Rickus searched for Vin, their footsteps echoing in the unnatural silence. The black ooze coated everything, slick and warm, like a living thing. The hum was a roar now, shaking the walls, and every door they opened led to a new nightmare—rooms that shouldn't exist, filled with shadows that moved on their own."He's gone to them," Sheree sobbed, clutching her rosary so tightly her knuckles bled. "He's going to give them what they want."Gigi didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was everywhere. Vin's papers, now scattered across the house, told a story of obsession. He'd been listening to the voices for weeks, maybe longer, drawing their symbols, mapping their demands. The heart beneath the house wasn't a metaphor—it was real, a pulsing, ancient thing that craved sacrifice.They found the basement door ajar, a place they'd avoided since the possession began. The stairs descended into darkness, the air thick with the stench of rot. Gigi led the way, her knife trembling in her hand. Rickus followed, his poker raised, while Sheree clung to the wall, whispering prayers.At the bottom, they found Vin. He stood in the center of the basement, his back to them, facing a massive stone slab embedded in the floor. It was identical to the one the girls had unearthed outside, its surface carved with spiraling symbols that glowed faintly. Vin was chanting, his voice a mix of his own and something deeper, older."Vin," Gigi called, her voice breaking. "Step away from it."He turned, his eyes glowing like the girls'. "It's too late," he said. "The heart is awake. It needs blood. Mine, yours—it doesn't care."Rickus lunged, swinging the poker, but Vin moved with inhuman speed, dodging and grabbing Rickus by the throat. Gigi screamed, rushing forward, but the floor shook, throwing her to her knees. The slab was cracking, black light spilling from the fissures.Sheree's prayers turned to screams as shadows poured from the cracks, coiling around Vin like smoke. He laughed, a sound that echoed with the house's voice. "You can't stop it," he said. "You're part of it now."Gigi scrambled to her feet, grabbing Sheree and pulling her toward the stairs. Rickus was still struggling, his face turning blue. She didn't want to leave him, but the shadows were spreading, and the hum was deafening. They stumbled upstairs, barricading the door behind them.The house was alive, and it was coming for them.