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THE 7 OF YOU FOLLOWED THE TOURIST as she pointed out different features of the foyer and began to speak about the house's history. You found yourself tuning out the tour guide's words and dragging yourself behind the rest, feeling drained from the day's activities. As you walked through the various rooms, you tried to remain focused, hoping to make it through the tour without incident.
Suddenly, Ashlyn let out a sharp wince, and you turned to her. "You good?" you whispered. She took her hands off her ears and answered, "Yeah, just the Phantoms again...for some reason they're getting louder."
As if on cue, you heard a loud ring, and the tourist fished a phone with an origami swan charm out of her pocket. "Ah...I'm sorry but this is my emergency phone, Keep looking but don't- don't touch anything!" she said, before running off. A sense of unease washed over you, and you felt a shiver go down your spine, warning you of possible danger. But there wasn't any visible threat around...
"Well, that's super professional." Tyler rolled his eyes. You hated Tyler, to say the least. Even though he didn't know you, you certainly knew him: loud, rude, loud and did you mention loud? Like, who the hell needs to be throwing shoes into walls at 7 AM?
"I-I don't think thats professional..." Logan replied, not sensing the sarcastic tone.
"I was being sarcastic" He snapped.
"Oh..."
As you and the rest of the group toured the Sorrel Weed House, you couldn't help but feel disappointed by the experience. The house was old and dusty, and there was nothing particularly interesting or exciting about it. Nevertheless, you found yourself feeling uneasy, and your senses were going off like crazy. Despite the lack of any obvious danger, your head was spinning and your mind was racing. It didn't make any sense.
As you glanced at Ashlyn, you noticed that she was taking off her earplugs. "They're still getting louder," she whispered to you, her voice almost inaudible.
"I thought they were wireless earbuds!" Aiden exclaimed, causing you to shoot him a poisonous glare.
"They're earplugs," Ashlyn replied, her eyes widening at something past Aiden. "I wear them because of my sensitivity to sounds."
Your senses went on high alert at her words, and you knew you needed to stay close to Ashlyn. You didn't know what was going on, but you had the feeling that whatever it was, it wasn't good.
As you and Ashlyn stood frozen, staring at the tall, pure black figure with creamy white eyes and bloody teeth, you realized that your subconscious had been trying to warn you all along. You weren't totally surprised by the sight, as you had seen Idle monsters before in their dimensions. But Ashlyn took one look at the monster and her face paled, her eyes wide with fear. She turned to you, her voice shaking.
"Are you...are you seeing what I'm seeing?" she stammered.
"They...they aren't harmless," you replied, your voice just above a whisper. "Last time I checked."
You knew that the others in your group couldn't see what you and Ashlyn were seeing, but the thought that they were completely unaware of the danger lurking nearby made you feel even more unsafe. You didn't know what to do, maybe just ignore it?
. . .
As Taylor turned to Ashlyn, she could see the concern etched on her friend's face. "Hey Ashlyn, you good?" she asked, her tone laden with concern.
Ashlyn exhaled and nodded. "Yeah," she replied, but her voice sounded weak and trembling. So many thoughts were jumping through her mind, and she could barely keep up. "No one said anything about visual hallucinations," she thought to herself. "I'll just avoid it. It'll leave me alone."
As she tried to put the disturbing sight out of her mind, she was startled by Logan's voice calling her name. He was standing in front of her, and when she looked up, his finger was wavering as he slowly raised it to point behind her.
