The New Homeowner

The first night was the hardest. The house creaked in the dark, every groan of its old wooden frame sounding like footsteps on the stairs. I told myself it was just the settling of an old building, but when I locked my bedroom door, I swore I heard someone breathing on the other side.

I pressed my ear to the wood. Nothing.
When I finally slept, I dreamed of a woman standing in the corner of my room, her mouth open in a silent scream.