Chapter 15 - Into the Light
The flashing red and blue lights of police cruisers and fire trucks illuminated the chaotic scene as paramedics rushed over to tend to Sarah, Leo, and little Lily, who was wrapped safely in a thermal blanket. Ryan stood shakily on the grass, watching the charred skeleton of his house smolder against the dark sky. The mysterious figure in the tree line had vanished, leaving behind only the faded photograph stuck upright in the damp earth—the exact photo of a young biker holding a baby, the catalyst for the entire nightmare. Detective Vance approached Ryan, holding a notepad and looking grim. ""We checked the sub-basement records, Mr. Miller,"" the detective said quietly. ""This land... it belonged to a mental institution that burned down in the seventies. The architect who built your house was a patient who escaped."" Ryan stared down at the polaroid photo in his hand, feeling a sudden, chilling breeze sweep across the lawn as the wind whispered through the surrounding trees. In the distance, as the sirens faded into a low hum, a faint voice echoed from the smoldering ruins of the foundation: “The walls are still watching.”"
