[image reference](https://www.wallpapertip.com/wmimgs/4-48579_dark-forest-crows-haunted-house-horror-haunted-mansion.jpg)
It was another lovely night, where the horizon was lit with a warm amber glow and the clouds were blazing white against the dark blue backdrop of the sky. The crickets chirped at each other, occasionally punctuating the sound with a shrill, unexpected cry. The scent of freshly cut grass emanated from the small patch of green on the man's right.
As Loukas closed the glass door of his kitchen, he took a second to admire the peaceful setting of his backyard. An invisible veil of the night seemed to drift around him, surrounding him in its calmness, its only disturbance coming from the chirping of the crickets or the rustling of the leaves touched by the light evening breeze. Loukas had become accustomed to this feeling. As long as he could remember, he had felt an inexplicable sense of peace whenever he was here.
His life was flourishing now, he thought. He worked in a clothing shop, with a well-paying job, married to a strong and kind woman. There was nothing better he could ask for.
As he moved further through his house, the peaceful ambience became less perceptible. Loukas came to a halt, as he felt something amiss. He couldn't yet explain it to himself, but there was someone else in the house, someone else that was walking through his house. He simply could not help but feel it.
As he turned on the lights in the hall, he saw the shadow of his wife coming from their bedroom. His wife, who loved party dresses to show off her figure, was standing in mid-symmetry pose in front of their bedroom's mirror, but there was something wrong.
As he and his wife started whispering to each other, their conversation only becoming more frantic, he tried to stem the fear swelling in his gut.
"What is it? What is it? he whispered, walking towards her.
"There is someone else in the house!" she said, her eyes wide with panic.
"Calm down. I'm sure there is a simple explanation- I'll check it out.
"No, stay here. I'm going to check it out, you stay here." She briskly walked towards the door and looked back at him as he was helplessly following her.
"Move!" she said, this time with more strength, grabbing his wrist and pulling him back. She then moved out of the door and towards the guestroom, unaware that her husband had just pretended to move to the left.
Assistant Inspector Klein, who had just arrived in the house, surprised Mrs. Loukas when the door of the guest room was pushed against her. She gave a scream as she was yanked towards the main door to the main hall, held back by the officer. She then thought she heard a low, threatening laugh and a loud thud coming from the bedroom.
"What happened in there? asked Mr. Loukas, as he and the officer moved in the room.
"No one is in there! said Mr. Klein. "Someone has locked themselves in the bathroom.
"Come on! Whoever is in there must come out.
As Mrs. Loukas kept calling out for her husband, being held back by the officer, Klein walked over to the bathroom and tried to open it. As the door swung open, they could both see Mr. Loukas standing behind it, smiling.
"How did you get in? asked the couple, somewhat confused, pointing to the door.
Mr. Loukas stared at the door for a moment, as if he were looking for something. Then he smiled, again in an evil smile.
"How did you get out? pressed Mrs. Loukas.
"There was no way to leave, so I had to stay. said Mr. Loukas, his words tinged with gruesome laugh.
Mr. Klein turned to the couple confused. Perhaps they heard the story wrong, he thought. But even though it had been a long story and he was pretty sure that he had not heard it wrong, there was something not right here.
"We got him and we are keeping him, said Mrs. Loukas, her tone still charged with panic.
"As long as he is in the handcuffs, it's fine, said Mr. Loukas. But I'm afraid that I'm leaving you tonight, perhaps for good.
"You can't, please don't go. said Mrs. Loukas, holding his arm.
"I have no choice; I have other things to do with my life than raising a child. After all, he will be a young adult someday. I will enjoy my new life, but there's someone here who will live a better life than I ever could.
Mr. Klein looked at the couple, but couldn't make out to whom he was referring, as he could not see anyone else in the room. He decided that he had to get out of here, so he quickly left for the door that led to the backyard, not wanting to have a look back.
He swung the door open as fast as he could and rushed through it, only to arrive dazed and confused on the backyard, with the door behind him shut, and the night calmly lapping at the windows of the couple's living room.
As Mr. Klein tried to make sense of what he had just witnessed, Mrs. Loukas finally left the bedroom, walking to the main door and exiting the house. She was in her pyjamas and was barefoot, but she didn't bother to make sure that the front door was locked behind her, as she just wanted to get away.
The sight of everything she had witnessed in the kitchen, with the door of the guestroom still shut, had given her an aversion to this house.
She ran out towards the street and tried calling for the police, but no one answered. She started begging for someone to give her a lift, but no one would come to her.
She then tried to run back home, only to find the house in a state of disrepair. The walls were cracked and the windows shattered, while the house seemed to be falling apart. The last thing she saw was that the front door was falling to pieces in the gust of wind that blew across the street.
On the rear yard, in a house that slowly crumbled, illuminated by the light of the moon and the stars, a young man was sitting in a rocking chair, serenely looking forwards into the night sky, with a thin smile on his lips and a peaceful look in his eyes.
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