The DoorScreamer's Last Call

In the dead of night, the old house on Maple Street stood as a silent sentinel, its windows glowing with the soft glow of a single, flickering candle. The air was thick with anticipation, a palpable tension that seemed to hang in the air like a shroud. Inside, the family had been gathering, unaware of the storm that was about to descend upon them.

The youngest, Emily, had been the first to hear it—a single, piercing scream that echoed through the house like a banshee's wail. Her small, startled eyes darted around the room, but there was no one there. Her parents exchanged a glance, the fear in their eyes as palpable as the scream that had just shattered the night's silence.

"Who was that?" Emily asked, her voice trembling.

Her mother, Sarah, rose from her seat and approached the door, her hand hovering over the doorknob. "I don't know, darling. But we need to find out."

As Sarah turned the knob, the door creaked open, revealing nothing but the moonlit yard outside. She stepped out, her heart pounding in her chest, and called out, "Is someone there?"

There was no answer, just the distant howl of a stray dog and the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. But the scream had been real, and it had been heard by everyone in the house.

That was when the message arrived.

It was a simple note, slipped under the door: "The DoorScreamer's Last Call."

The family exchanged a worried glance. The DoorScreamer was a local legend, a figure said to have once lived in the house. They spoke of a man driven mad by the loss of his family, who would scream through the door at all hours of the night, seeking solace in the sound of his own voice.

Sarah took the note and examined it closely. The ink was smudged, as if it had been written in haste. "This is real," she whispered. "We need to find out who's behind this."

Her husband, Tom, nodded. "We need to keep an eye on each other. No one goes out of this house tonight."

The night wore on, and the family huddled together, the flickering candle casting eerie shadows on the walls. They tried to distract themselves with conversation, but the silence outside and the unrelenting tension made it difficult.

Hours passed, and then the scream came again. This time, it was louder, more desperate. The family exchanged a terrified glance as they rushed to the door. But when they opened it, there was nothing there.

The next morning, the note had changed. It now read: "The DoorScreamer will claim his next victim at midnight."

The family was on edge. They knew that they had to uncover the truth, but they were also acutely aware of the danger they were in. The DoorScreamer was real, and he was coming for them.

Tom decided to investigate. He went to the local library, hoping to find any records of the DoorScreamer. As he sifted through the old newspapers, he found an article about a man named Edward, who had once lived in the house on Maple Street. Edward had been a prominent figure in the community, but his sudden disappearance had left everyone wondering what had become of him.

Tom felt a chill run down his spine. The DoorScreamer was Edward, come back to claim his house and his family. He needed to find a way to stop him before it was too late.

Meanwhile, Sarah had noticed something strange about the house. There was a hidden door in the attic, a door that led to a room she had never seen before. She decided to investigate, hoping that it might hold the key to understanding the DoorScreamer's true intentions.

As she opened the door, the air grew cold, and a chill ran down her spine. She stepped into the room, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. The room was filled with old furniture and dusty trunks, but what caught her attention was the portrait on the wall.

It was a portrait of Edward, but it was different. The Edward in the portrait was smiling, and there was a warmth in his eyes that didn't match the cold, calculating man they knew. Sarah realized that the portrait was a clue, a way to reach the real Edward.

She approached the portrait and reached out to touch it. As her fingers brushed against the cold surface, the portrait began to glow. A door opened behind it, and a voice echoed through the room.

"It's time, Sarah. The time for you to find the truth."

Sarah stepped through the door, her heart pounding in her chest. She found herself in a room filled with old photographs and letters, all of which spoke of Edward's family and the secrets they had kept.

She realized that the DoorScreamer had been driven to madness by the loss of his family, but he had also been betrayed by them. They had hidden the truth from him, and he had sought solace in the sound of his own voice.

As Sarah read through the letters, she discovered that Edward had been trying to uncover the truth about his family's past, but they had driven him to the brink of madness. In his final moments, he had left behind a message, hoping that someone would find it and uncover the truth.

Tom had also discovered the truth. He had realized that the DoorScreamer was a ghost, a spirit trapped in the house, seeking justice. He had gone to the attic to confront him, hoping to set him free.

As they stood face to face, the DoorScreamer revealed his true form, a tormented soul trapped in the flesh of an old man. He had been driven to madness by his family's secrets, and he had chosen to take them with him to the grave.

Sarah and Tom realized that they had to help the DoorScreamer find peace. They needed to uncover the truth and bring it to light, so that the DoorScreamer could finally rest.

They spent the night searching through the old letters and photographs, piecing together the story of Edward's life. They discovered that Edward had been betrayed by his family, who had hidden the truth about his parentage and the secrets they had kept.

As they uncovered the truth, the DoorScreamer's form began to fade. He whispered a final thank you to Sarah and Tom, and then he was gone, leaving behind a sense of peace and closure.

The family knew that they had been through a harrowing experience, but they also knew that they had faced it together. They had uncovered the truth and brought peace to the DoorScreamer, and they had done it as a family.

As the dawn broke over Maple Street, the family stood together in the yard, looking up at the old house. They knew that the DoorScreamer was gone, but they also knew that they had been forever changed by the experience.

The scream had been a call to action, a reminder that sometimes the truth is hidden in plain sight. And sometimes, it takes a family to uncover it and bring peace to a spirit trapped in the past.

The DoorScreamer's Last Call had been answered, and the family had found their own peace in the process.