"BLONDE LIKE HONEY"

The following days were clouded by the unanswered questions that lingered in the air. Aurora and Max tried to push the mystery of the hotel to the back of their minds, focusing on preparations for their baby, but the strange occurrences continued. Every night, the shadows seemed to stretch longer, the wind whistled through the trees outside their window, and the silence that surrounded them felt more suffocating than peaceful. Aurora, ever sensitive to the emotions of those around her, couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching them.

One evening, after another day of unsettling events, Aurora sat by the window, her gaze lost in the darkened horizon. Max had been working on a project in the study, but even he couldn't escape the strange tension that had settled over the hotel. She didn't realize how much time had passed until Max gently placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Aurora, you've been staring out that window for hours. What's on your mind?" he asked softly, concerned.

She turned to him, her eyes filled with an unreadable sadness. "I keep feeling like something is wrong, Max. It's not just the hotel... It's something bigger. I can't explain it."

Max sat beside her, taking her hand in his. "I know, I feel it too. But we can't let this fear control us. We have to keep moving forward, for the baby."

She nodded, trying to smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. The unease in her chest wouldn't subside, no matter how hard she tried to push it away. 

Later that night, while they were preparing for bed, a soft knock on the door interrupted their quiet moment. Max opened it to find a young housekeeper standing in the doorway, looking pale and slightly shaken.

"Excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Max... I'm terribly sorry to disturb you, but something strange has happened in the old wing of the hotel. We've been hearing noises... voices... and one of the lights seems to be flickering uncontrollably. We just... thought you should know." Her voice was trembling, and she looked over her shoulder as if expecting something to appear from the shadows.

Aurora felt a chill crawl up her spine. The old wing again. It was as if the hotel itself were drawing them in, testing their resolve. 

"Thank you," Max said, his voice steady but concerned. "We'll come and check it out."

As they left their room, Max squeezed Aurora's hand. "We'll figure this out together. We're not alone in this."

They made their way to the old wing, which, despite its recent renovations, still carried an aura of abandonment. The halls seemed darker here, the air thicker, as though the building had its own life, its own secrets.

The housekeeper led them to the area where the disturbances had been happening. The flickering light was the first thing they noticed. It buzzed erratically, casting long shadows across the hall. The voices—whispers, faint but distinct—could be heard from behind one of the doors.

"Did you hear that?" Aurora whispered, her grip tightening on Max's arm.

Max nodded, his face grim. "We're not alone here."

They approached the door from where the voices seemed to be emanating. The whispering grew louder as they drew nearer. Aurora felt a strange pull in her chest, like an invisible force was urging her to step forward. She placed her hand on the door handle, hesitating for a moment before pushing it open.

Inside, the room was cold. Very cold, as though the temperature had dropped several degrees in an instant. The flickering light illuminated a faded, old portrait on the wall—a portrait of a woman dressed in Victorian clothing, her eyes eerily lifelike and piercing. The room was empty, save for the strange energy that filled it.

Max stepped inside, looking around cautiously. "What is this place?"

Aurora felt a presence, a heavy weight in the air, pressing in on her. The whispers seemed to be coming from all directions now. She couldn't understand the words, but the tone was unmistakable—angry, pleading, desperate. The air seemed to throb with tension.

Then, as if on cue, the door slammed shut behind them.

Aurora gasped, her heart racing. Max rushed to the door, pulling at the handle, but it wouldn't budge. 

"Max, something's wrong. We need to leave—now!" Aurora shouted, panic rising in her chest.

The whispers grew louder, more frantic. It was as though the walls themselves were closing in. Max stepped back, his eyes wide with fear.

"Aurora, we need to calm down. Let me think."

Suddenly, the portrait on the wall shifted. The woman's face twisted into an agonized expression, her eyes following them. A loud crash rang out, as if something had fallen to the floor. The room seemed to spin, and Aurora felt as though the ground beneath her was shifting, warping.

With a surge of adrenaline, Max charged at the door one more time, throwing his shoulder into it. The door burst open, and they tumbled out into the hallway, gasping for breath.

The housekeeper, still standing in the hall, was visibly shaking. "I... I don't know what happened in there," she said, her voice trembling. "I heard the whispers, and I saw... I saw her eyes... moving!"

Aurora took a deep breath, her heart still pounding in her chest. "We need to find out what's going on here. This is no coincidence."

Max nodded, his expression hardening. "Whatever this is, we'll face it together. No matter what."

As they walked back to their suite, they couldn't shake the feeling that they had only scratched the surface of the dark secrets hidden within the walls of the hotel. The land, the spirits, the strange occurrences—it was all connected, and they would need to confront it if they were to protect the future they were building.

The battle for their family, their peace, was just beginning. And they had no idea how far the darkness would go to claim what it wanted.