Chapter 1: The Sound No One Could Ignore
The man lunged toward the coffin.
Not to open it.
To stop the maid.
“Move!” she screamed, her voice tearing through the silence.
Two mourners grabbed him before he could reach her.
That was the moment everything shifted.
Because this time—no one called her crazy.
The sound had already happened.
A knock.
Soft.
Hollow.
Impossible.
The maid shoved her hands into the crack and pulled.
Wood groaned. Nails strained.
“Help me!” she cried.
No one moved.
Until one man stepped forward.
Then another.
The lid shifted.
A breath caught in every chest.
Something inside… moved.
Grief cracked open—
And something far more terrifying took its place.
