Chapter 6
Night did not fall all at once, but slowly stretched over the town, like a shadow advancing without haste yet never stopping. From his bedroom window, Leo watched the streets in silence, trying to understand why everything felt different when, on the surface, nothing had changed.
Lights were still on in some houses, the distant sound of a television filtered through the walls, and far away, a dog barked with the same persistence as always. It was the same town as every night.
But the air… wasn't.
There was something in it that hadn't been there before.
It was a difficult sensation to explain, like a constant pressure in his chest that didn't hurt, but didn't go away either. It didn't come from a specific place, it wasn't like his previous encounters. This time, there was no clear source.
Leo slowly closed his grandmother's notebook, setting it down on the bed. He had tried to read, to search for answers, to understand what was happening, but the words were no longer enough. This time, recognizing simple signs wasn't enough.
This was different.
Bigger.
Deeper.
"It's not a spirit…" he murmured, almost without realizing it.
The door opened behind him without warning, but Leo didn't flinch. He had been so focused on that sensation that everything else felt distant.
"You got really quiet," Nando said as he walked in, scanning the room curiously. "Did something happen again?"
Leo didn't answer right away. He simply turned his head slightly, just enough to glance at him.
"Don't you feel it?"
Nando stopped, confused, and for once didn't respond with a joke. He stayed silent for a few seconds, as if actually trying to sense something beyond the obvious.
"It just feels… normal," he finally said.
Leo shook his head and turned back to the window.
"It's not. The air is different."
Nando stepped closer, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. He didn't look skeptical anymore, but he didn't fully understand either.
"Like what happened in the backyard?"
"No," Leo replied immediately. "That came from somewhere. This doesn't."
He pointed toward the street, then farther out, toward where the faint lights of the town center barely showed.
"It's everywhere."
Nando followed his gesture, but found nothing unusual. Just empty streets, streetlights illuminating the pavement, and shadows shifting with the night breeze.
"I don't see anything."
"Neither do I," Leo admitted. "But I feel it."
Silence settled between them, heavier than before. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it was unsettling, as if both of them were waiting for something to happen at any moment.
Then, the streetlight outside flickered.
Once.
Then again.
And returned to normal.
Nando stopped moving.
"Okay… I saw that."
Leo didn't respond. His attention was fixed entirely outside, though he wasn't searching for something visible. He was trying to understand what he was feeling.
"We shouldn't go out," he said suddenly.
Nando looked at him.
"I didn't even say anything."
"But you were going to."
Nando let out a quiet breath, more thoughtful than mocking.
"Maybe."
Leo pressed the notebook lightly against his chest.
"It's not a good idea."
"Why?"
Leo took a moment to answer—not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't find the right words.
"Because I don't understand what this is… and that makes it worse."
A breeze passed outside, soft, almost imperceptible. Yet it didn't move the leaves of the trees or the curtains. It was as if it crossed the space without truly touching anything.
Leo stepped back.
Something inside him reacted immediately. It wasn't fear yet, but a warning—an instinctive sensation telling him to stay alert.
Several minutes passed without either of them speaking. The atmosphere didn't improve; if anything, it grew stranger. That was when Leo began to notice the details.
The shadows didn't quite match the objects. Some seemed to lag slightly behind, as if they didn't fully belong to what cast them. Reflections in the glass moved at a different rhythm—barely noticeable, but enough to feel wrong.
And then he heard it.
A murmur.
Very faint.
Almost nonexistent.
Leo tilted his head slightly, focusing on the sound.
"Do you hear that?"
Nando frowned.
"No… what is it?"
The murmur continued. It wasn't a single voice, but many, overlapping, impossible to distinguish. As if someone were speaking from very far away… or far too close.
"I don't like this…" Leo whispered.
Nando stepped closer, now fully alert, no longer trying to brush it off.
"Then don't ignore it."
Leo closed his eyes for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts. He remembered the notes in the notebook, the warnings, the small explanations his grandmother had left behind.
Cursed energy doesn't always appear immediately. Sometimes… it spreads first.
His eyes snapped open.
"It's not in one place," he said. "It's in the whole town."
Nando looked at him, this time without interrupting.
"Like what?"
"Like it's asleep… but present."
The murmur suddenly stopped.
The silence that replaced it was heavier than the sound.
A chill ran down Leo's spine.
"It noticed…"
"Noticed what?"
Leo looked straight at him.
"Me."
The lights in the room flickered violently.
Once.
Twice.
And went out.
Darkness fell instantly, swallowing everything.
The air turned cold.
The murmur returned, but this time much closer—so close it seemed to come from inside the room.
Nando didn't move, but his breathing changed.
"Leo…"
"Don't move," he replied quietly.
Leo clenched his fists. His heart pounded hard, but he didn't step back. Not this time.
"You're not invisible…" he murmured. "I just don't know how to see you."
The murmur shifted for a moment, as if reacting to his words.
And then, the lights came back.
All at once.
Nando blinked, disoriented.
Leo didn't move.
His gaze was fixed on the window's reflection.
Because for a fraction of a second, he had seen something—a shape, a silhouette behind them… and now it was gone.
He took a slow, steady breath, trying to stay in control, even though deep down he knew something had changed. This was no longer something small, nor an isolated spirit; it was something he didn't understand, something he couldn't see… but that could sense him.
Leo closed the notebook firmly.
"I need to learn more."
Nando watched him in silence for a few seconds before replying.
"Then we better do it before that thing comes back."
Leo nodded.
Outside, the town remained the same. Calm, quiet, unaware of what had just happened.
But now he knew.
Something was there.
Spreading.
Waiting.
And this time… it wasn't just a feeling.
It was a warning.