The House at the End of the Road
The road seemed to get narrower the farther we drove.
Trees surrounded us on both sides, their branches hanging over the road like they were trying to block the sunlight.
“Are we there yet?” Yoonchae asked from the back seat.
“We’ve been driving for, like, ten minutes,” Daniela said.
“Exactly. Ten whole minutes.”
Lara laughed. “You survived.”
“I barely survived.”
Sophia glanced at the map on her phone.
“Guys, I think we’re almost there.”
Manon looked out the window.
“There’s literally nothing here.”
“That’s the point,” Megan said. “We’re supposed to be getting away from everything.”
“I don’t know,” Manon replied. “This is really away from everything.”
Daniela leaned forward between the seats.
“Imagine if we get there and there’s no Wi-Fi.”
Everyone went silent.
“Don’t say that,” Lara said immediately.
Yoonchae gasped dramatically.
“That would actually be terrifying.”
They all laughed.
For a while, the drive continued normally.
Then Sophia suddenly pointed ahead.
“There.”
Through the trees, a large house appeared.
It stood at the end of a long gravel driveway, surrounded by woods.
It was beautiful.
Huge windows. Dark wooden walls. A wide porch stretching across the front.
But there was something strange about it.
Every window was closed.
Every curtain was drawn.
Manon stared at the house.
“Why does it look like nobody lives there?”
“Maybe they don’t,” Megan said.
Sophia looked down at her phone.
“The owner said everything would be ready for us.”
Daniela smiled.
“Then let’s go.”
The car pulled into the driveway.
The moment the engine stopped, everyone got out.
Yoonchae stretched her arms above her head.
“Finally!”
Lara grabbed one of the bags from the trunk.
“Okay. Everyone grab your stuff.”
They began carrying their luggage toward the house.
Sophia reached the front door first.
There was a small envelope taped to it.
She pulled it off.
“What’s that?”
“Probably instructions,” Megan said.
Sophia opened it.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
She read it silently.
Then her expression changed.
“What?” Manon asked.
Sophia looked up.
“There’s only one rule.”
Daniela walked closer.
“What rule?”
Sophia turned the paper around.
Everyone looked.
Written in black ink were six words:
DO NOT OPEN THE SIXTH ROOM.
Nobody spoke.
Yoonchae blinked.
“…What’s the sixth room?”
Daniela laughed nervously.
“Okay. That’s creepy.”
Megan looked toward the house.
“Maybe it’s just a joke.”
Sophia folded the paper.
“Probably.”
She unlocked the door.
It opened with a long, quiet creak.
The six of them stepped inside.
The house was completely silent.
Not peaceful silence.
The kind that made every little sound feel too loud.
Lara looked around.
“Okay…”
Daniela smiled.
“It’s actually really nice.”
They started exploring the downstairs rooms.
Kitchen.
Living room.
Dining room.
Everything looked perfectly clean.
Almost untouched.
Then they went upstairs.
Sophia counted the bedrooms as they walked.
“One…”
She opened the first door.
“Two.”
Another bedroom.
“Three.”
“Four.”
“Five.”
Yoonchae pointed down the hallway.
“Wait.”
Everyone stopped.
At the very end of the hallway was another door.
It was slightly darker than the others.
Sophia stared at it.
Manon slowly walked closer.
“That’s six.”
Nobody laughed this time.
Daniela looked at the others.
“So…”
She pointed toward the door.
“Who wants to open it?”
Before anyone could answer—
Knock.
Everyone froze.
The sound had come from behind the door.
One knock.
Then another.
Knock.
Yoonchae stepped backward.
“…Did someone just knock?”
Sophia didn’t answer.
She was staring at the door.
Because underneath it…
A shadow had appeared.
Someone was standing on the other side.
