Suddenly, a memory flashed through his mind.
Rain.
A screaming little girl.
His father’s hands covered in blood.
And a voice whispering from inside the basement:
If you let me out, I’ll give you your sister back.
Daniel screamed.
He remembered everything.
Or at least, he thought he did.
—
TWENTY YEARS EARLIER
Daniel was only seven years old when his little sister Emily disappeared.
Their father had always forbidden them from entering the basement.
He said there was an old water tank down there and that it was dangerous.
But one night, Daniel woke up to the sound of Emily crying.
He followed her voice downstairs.
The basement door was open.
Inside, his father stood in front of a large wooden box covered in strange symbols.
Emily was crying on the floor.
“Daddy, please! I don’t want to do this!”
Their father turned toward Daniel.
His face was pale.
His eyes were full of tears.
“Daniel,” he whispered. “Take your sister and run.”
Then something inside the box knocked three times.
Their father froze.
A voice came from inside.
It sounded exactly like Daniel.
“Please, Daddy. Let me out.”
The real Daniel stood in the doorway, unable to move.
His father began to cry.
“Don’t listen to it,” he whispered. “No matter what it says, don’t open the box.”
Then the voice inside spoke again.
This time, it sounded like Emily.
“Daddy, I’m scared.”
Their father dropped to his knees.
And Daniel, being only seven years old, made the biggest mistake of his life.
He opened the box.
—
PRESENT DAY
Daniel sat in his car, gasping for air.
He had spent twenty years believing Emily had disappeared.
But now he remembered.
She hadn’t disappeared.
Something had taken her place.
And whatever had been inside that box had been waiting for him ever since.
His phone rang again.
This time, the caller ID showed:
DAD.
Daniel’s father had died twelve years ago.
He answered.
