The wind howled outside Sarah’s window, a constant presence in the otherwise still night. It had been storming for hours, but there was something different about the wind tonight—something that made her skin prickle as she lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The old house groaned in protest, as though it too felt the unnatural chill seeping through the cracks. She pulled the blanket tighter around her body, trying to ignore the eerie sensation that crept over her, like invisible fingers trailing down her spine.

She told herself it was just the storm. Just another restless night in an old, creaking house. But even as the thought crossed her mind, the wind changed. It wasn’t just a distant howl anymore—it was closer, more distinct. There was something else in it, beneath the howling… a whisper.

Her name.

“Sarah…”

She sat up sharply, her breath catching in her throat. The sound was faint, carried on the wind like a soft sigh, barely audible over the gusts rattling the windowpane. But she had heard it. It was unmistakable—her name, spoken softly, as if the very air outside had learned how to speak.

"Sarah…" The whisper came again, slightly louder this time, and more insistent. Her heart began to race, each beat echoing in her ears, louder than the wind, louder than anything else. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, her bare feet brushing against the cold wooden floor. Every instinct screamed at her to stay in bed, to ignore the voices outside. But curiosity, or perhaps something darker, pulled her forward.

She stood, the floorboards creaking beneath her weight as she crossed the small bedroom. Her fingers brushed the thin curtain that hung over the window, the fabric swaying slightly as though touched by the wind from the other side. Her hand hovered there, trembling, afraid to pull it back. The whisper came again, clearer now, almost as if it were coming from just beyond the glass.

“Sarah… come outside.”

Her heart slammed against her ribs as she finally pulled the curtain aside. She stared out into the darkness, but there was nothing—no figure standing on the front lawn, no one calling her name. Just the trees swaying violently in the wind, the branches whipping through the air like claws. But the whisper persisted.

"Sarah…"

It was louder now, like dozens of voices speaking in unison. Her skin crawled as the whispers grew, layering on top of each other, overlapping until they became a cacophony, a mass of voices all calling her name.

"Sarah, come. Join us."

She stepped back from the window, her breath coming in ragged gasps. The voices wouldn’t stop. They filled the room, surrounding her, pressing in from every side. She clamped her hands over her ears, but it didn’t matter. The sound wasn’t just outside anymore—it was inside her mind, worming its way through her thoughts.

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"Come with us, Sarah. We’re waiting."

Her legs trembled, her body shaking uncontrollably as the voices filled every corner of her being. They weren’t just calling her anymore—they were demanding her presence, commanding her to join them. And underneath the cacophony, she heard something else. Something far more terrifying.

Laughter.

Low, guttural, and filled with a malice that froze the blood in her veins. The laughter of something that had been waiting in the dark, watching her, biding its time.

"No, no, no," she whispered to herself, backing away from the window, her body trembling. But even as she tried to retreat, her feet moved against her will, pulling her closer to the door.

"Sarah… we’re here."

She stumbled out of the bedroom, her body moving as if pulled by an invisible force. The wind outside had grown violent, shaking the house with its fury. And yet, underneath it all, the voices continued. They were louder now, a frenzied chorus of demands, each one more insistent than the last. She clutched the railing as she descended the stairs, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps.

Outside, the wind howled with a ferocity that rattled the entire house, and Sarah could feel it. She could feel them—whatever was outside—growing closer, pressing against the walls of the house, eager to be let in.

She stumbled toward the front door, her fingers shaking as they brushed the cold metal of the doorknob. The voices surged, screaming her name now, the words echoing in her skull like a pounding drum.

"Sarah, come with us. Join us!"

She threw the door open.

The wind hit her like a wall, blasting her with icy air that sucked the breath from her lungs. But there was something else in the wind—something alive. She could feel it, feel the presence in the darkness, the weight of a thousand eyes watching her from the shadows just beyond the porch.

And then she saw it.

A figure, standing at the edge of the yard, cloaked in darkness. Its skin was pale, too pale, stretched tight over jagged bones. Hollow eyes stared back at her from the void, empty and endless, and a twisted smile pulled its lips back to reveal rows of sharp, broken teeth. The wind seemed to die in that moment, the world falling into an eerie, unnatural stillness.

The same thing that had claimed so many before her. The same thing that had whispered from beneath beds and inside walls, that had torn its way through stairwells and shadowed homes. It was here now, standing just a breath away, waiting for her to step into its grasp.

“Do you know how long I’ve been watching you, Sarah?” it whispered, its voice low and mocking, the same voice she had heard in the wind. “How much blood do you think it will take this time?”

Her body went cold as the wind began to pick up again, swirling around her, pulling at her hair, her clothes. But this time, it wasn’t just wind. It was hands. Cold, invisible hands, brushing against her skin, grabbing her, pulling her toward the figure at the edge of the yard.

"No!" Sarah screamed, but the wind swallowed her cries. The laughter came again, deep and hollow, as the hands dragged her forward, her feet scraping against the ground as she tried to resist.

The Crawler smiled wider, its hollow eyes gleaming as it stretched out its clawed hand toward her. She felt it wrap around her wrist, cold and wet, like something pulled from the bottom of a grave. Her skin burned where it touched, searing pain shooting through her arm as it yanked her closer.

And then, with a sickening lurch, she was pulled off her feet, her body flung toward the figure, the wind howling in triumph as the darkness swallowed her whole.

The voices rose into a scream, and then—

Silence.

The wind outside the house died down, the storm fading as though it had never been. The front door, left ajar, creaked softly in the breeze, swinging on its hinges. But Sarah was gone.

And in the cold night air, the whispering began again.