She shook her head.

“I can’t.””

“Try.””

She looked down.

“I knew something was wrong after he found the basement.””

“What did he do?””

“He started acting different.””

“How?””

“He stopped sleeping.””

“Why?””

“Because he was looking for something.””

“What?””

“I don’t know.””

I stared at her.

“You keep saying that.””

“Because it’s true!””

Her voice cracked.

Then she covered her mouth.

Emily jumped slightly.

Elena immediately softened.

“I’m sorry.””

My daughter looked away.

That hurt.

A mother apologizing for being loud in her own home.

A child afraid of a raised voice.

I stepped between them.

“We need to find out what happened.””

I walked toward the basement door.

It was at the end of the hallway.

A heavy wooden door.

Locked.

Of course.

I tried the handle.

Nothing.

“Where’s the key?””

Elena hesitated.

“Julian had it.””

I looked at her.

“You’re kidding.””

“No.””

I examined the lock.

Old.

Simple.

I grabbed a nearby metal tool from the kitchen drawer.

Elena stared at me.

“What are you doing?””

“What I should have done three days ago.””

I forced the lock.

The sound echoed through the house.

Emily covered her ears.

After several attempts, the lock broke.

The door opened slowly.

A wave of cold air came from below.

The basement smelled like dust.

And something else.

Something old.

I turned on the light.

Nothing happened.

“Great.””

I grabbed my phone flashlight.

The stairs creaked beneath my weight.

Emily stayed at the top with Elena.

I walked down.

One step.

Two.

Three.

At the bottom, I saw the boxes.

Dozens of them.

Some old.

Some new.

Photos were scattered everywhere.

Documents.

Newspaper clippings.

Notes.

I picked one up.

The headline was faded.

*LOCAL MAN DISAPPEARS AFTER FAMILY REPORTS STRANGE ACTIVITY AT HOME*

I looked closer.

The address.

My blood ran cold.

It was this house.

I grabbed another paper.

Another missing person.

Same address.

Another.

Same address.

How many?

“Mark?””

Elena called from the stairs.

“What is it?””

I couldn’t answer.

Because I had found what Julian found.

The reason he was scared.

The reason he was hiding things.

The reason he locked my daughter away.

I moved deeper into the basement.

Behind the boxes was a small metal cabinet.

Inside were folders.

Each folder had a name.

Dates.

Photographs.

Evidence.

Then I found the newest folder.

The one placed on top.

The one that looked like it had been added recently.

My hands shook as I opened it.

The first page had a photograph.

A photograph of Emily.

Taken inside this house.

My daughter.

Sleeping.

The second page had a handwritten note.

Five words.

*She saw everything that night.*

I felt the basement walls closing in.

“Emily!””

My voice echoed.

She appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Daddy?””

I looked at her.

Then at the folder.

“Baby…”

She froze.

Because she knew.

She knew exactly what I had found.

And before I could ask the question burning inside me, the lights in the entire house suddenly went out.

A second later, every door upstairs slammed shut.

And from somewhere in the darkness behind me, a man whispered:

“Looking for answers, Mark?””

Chapter 5: The Man Standing in the Dark