Chapter 9 - The Threshold
The door did not squeak this time, swinging open in total, unnatural silence. The space inside was no longer a simple closet filled with coats and boxes. It was a swirling vortex of pitch-black smoke that seemed to extend endlessly downward. Arthur tossed a handful of rock salt into the darkness, listening as it crackled against unseen surfaces. He tied a heavy climbing rope to the sturdy banister in the hallway, securing the other end around his waist. He gripped his silver pendant tightly, letting its familiar weight ground his scattered thoughts. With a final prayer muttered under his breath, Arthur stepped forward into the abyss. The cold engulfed him instantly, biting through his thick wool sweater and chilling his bones. He felt as though he was falling and walking at the same exact time. The light from the hallway vanished behind him, leaving him in absolute, suffocating darkness. He was now in the entity's domain.
