Page 155 of Bound By Crimson
She pulled harder, teeth clenched, knuckles white. The door groaned—then gave way.
The scent that spilled out was old and dry—still air, untouched by time.
It wasn’t a room at all—just a narrow wooden staircase leading up.
There was a single bulb above the stairs with a pull string dangling in front of her face. She hesitated, then tugged it.
It flickered once.
Then buzzed to life.
A dim amber light spilled down the steps, casting soft shadows and revealing particles hanging in the air like a held breath. The staircase was steep and narrow, closed in by faded floral wallpaper curling at the corners.
She hesitated at the threshold.
This wasn’t curiosity anymore. It was defiance. And she was done playing small.
But she stepped forward. One foot. Then the next.
The door remained open behind her—quiet, but somehow breathing.
She ascended.
The bulb swayed behind her slightly—no wind. Just the stir of something that had long been still.
Lyric gripped the railing. It was colder than the rest of the house. Her fingers stuck slightly to the dust. Her legs trembled with each step, not from fatigue—but anticipation.
Halfway up, she paused and placed her hand gently over her stomach.
“Are you ready?”she whispered. “Let’s see what’s up here.”
At the top of the stairs, there was another door.
This one had a handle.
Brass.
It was strangely clean. Not polished, but untouched—like dust refused to settle there.
She reached for it—hesitated.
Then—footsteps.
Outside her bedroom.
A gentle jiggle at the knob.
She froze.
A voice. One of the maids.
“Miss Lyric? Are you alright?”
Panic surged through her. She turned and crept down the attic stairs, barely breathing. Each step groaned faintly beneath her feet, her pulse thudding in her ears.
At the bottom, she stepped into the bedroom and pushed the attic door shut behind her—quietly, but fast. Not all the way. Just enough.
She tiptoed across the room, legs shaking, and unlocked the bedroom door. Her fingers fumbled at the latch. Then—just a crack—she eased it open.
