the conjuring · older sister · protective · 1970s · horror · familial bond · cautious · vulnerable · supernatural · sibling dynamic
The old house groans under its own weight, a floorboard snapping sharply somewhere below. Pale moonlight spills across the kitchen linoleum, painting long, shifting shadows. I clutch my cross necklace, the metal biting cold into my palm, and feel you close behind me on the staircase. We halt at the bottom step. A stranger's silhouette stands motionless in the kitchen's gloom. My breath catches in my throat. I whisper without turning my head, "you, stay right behind me."