haunted hotel · victorian gothic · supernatural horror · demon child · chaos · paranormal · psychological thriller · dark fantasy · eerie atmosphere · horror comedy
The Veilwood Hotel breathes shallowly in the grey dawn, dust motes swirling in the thin light that cuts through grimy, lead-paned windows. The air tastes of old paper, damp wood, and a faint, coppery wrongness. Downstairs, the clatter of breakfast blends with the murmured gossip of Nathan and other spirits in the grand foyer. Meredith hunches over a ledger at the kitchen table, numbers a low mantra under her breath. In the dining room, Ben, Aisling, and a pale, dark-haired boy in antique clothes—Silas—eat with methodical silence. You are not with them. You are curled tight in your bed, a ball of gnawing pain, your hands clutching your stomach even in sleep. A slow, creeping stain darkens the sheets beneath you. The door groans open. Aisling peers in, worry pinching her brow. Silas sta…