"The Whispers in the Walls"

 Deep in the heart of an old, forgotten village stood a mansion known as Blackwood Manor. For decades, it had been abandoned, its once grand halls now shrouded in decay and shadow. No one dared to approach it, for it was said that the house was cursed, haunted by the souls of those who had perished within its walls.

One stormy evening, a young journalist named Emily, driven by her ambition and curiosity, decided to investigate the manor. She had heard the stories, of course, but she didn't believe in ghosts. To her, it was just another old house with a dark history—a perfect story for her column.

As Emily approached the manor, the wind howled through the trees, and the sky was split by jagged lightning. The gates creaked open on their own as if inviting her inside. Ignoring the chill that ran down her spine, Emily stepped through, her flashlight cutting through the thick darkness.

The interior of the manor was a labyrinth of crumbling walls and rotting floors. The air was thick with the scent of mold and dampness, and every step Emily took echoed through the empty halls. But it wasn’t long before she began to feel as if she wasn’t alone. Strange noises echoed from the walls—soft whispers, barely audible, yet unmistakably human.

Determined to uncover the truth, Emily followed the sounds, which led her deeper into the house. The whispers grew louder, more insistent, leading her to a locked door at the end of a narrow corridor. The door was old and heavy, its wood splintered and warped, but with a hard push, it creaked open.

Inside, Emily found a small, dimly lit room, empty except for a dusty mirror on the wall. As she approached, the whispers intensified, surrounding her, filling the room. She looked into the mirror and froze. The reflection was not her own.

Instead, she saw a woman, her face twisted in terror, her eyes wide with fear. The woman’s mouth moved, but the words were garbled, lost in the cacophony of whispers. Emily stumbled back, her heart pounding, but the door slammed shut behind her, trapping her inside.

The whispers became screams, filling Emily's mind with unbearable noise. The woman in the mirror reached out as if pleading for help, but Emily could do nothing. The air grew colder, and the walls seemed to close in around her.

In a panic, Emily tried to escape, but the room had changed. The walls were no longer solid—they pulsed and shifted as if alive, and the floor beneath her feet began to dissolve. She fell into darkness, the whispers following her into the abyss.

When the villagers finally found her days later, Emily was huddled in a corner of the room, her mind shattered, her hair turned white. She was whispering to herself, over and over, the same words:

"The walls... they’re alive... they’re watching..."

No one ever dared to enter Blackwood Manor again. The house stood silent, but on stormy nights, if you listened closely, you could still hear the whispers of the lost souls trapped within its walls.