It was 3 am when the doorbell rang out, its shrill tone piercing the darkness like a scream. The sound seemed to freeze time itself, the world holding its breath as the bell's echoes faded away.

And then, silence.

But the silence was short-lived. Footsteps creaked up the porch, heavy and deliberate. The sound sent shivers down the spine of the empty house, as if it knew that something was terribly wrong.

The door creaked open, its hinges...