A child humming.
You froze.
The hallway ahead was dark, except for one thin strip of yellow light under the locked door.
Your hands tightened around the towels.
No child lived in this house.
Everyone knew that.
Yet the humming continued.
A trembling melody, broken in places, like someone trying to remember a song through tears.
You should have walked away.
Mrs. Herrera’s rules echoed in your mind.