The woman in red at the top of the stairs didn't move.
But her smile… stretched wider. Skin cracked open at the edges of her mouth, oozing dark, syrupy blood. Her jaw made a sickening pop as it dislocated further, the grin now splitting her face almost in half.
"Smile for me, Danny…"
Her voice wasn't spoken. It vibrated inside his skull.
Danny's legs refused to move. His fists clenched tight against his sides, knuckles bone white.
Don't look. Don't look at the faces.
He squeezed his eyes shut, heart pounding against his ribs like it was trying to escape.
But the whispers came faster, louder—
"Smile… smile… SMILE!"
Suddenly, unseen hands grabbed his cheeks. Ice-cold fingers dug into his skin, forcing his mouth open.
His lips stretched painfully, his jaw trembling against the unnatural force.
"No… no… please…"
Tears welled up, but he couldn't close his mouth.
He couldn't stop smiling.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught movement.
Dozens of faces—etched in the walls, the mirrors, even the floor tiles—were shifting.
Their smiles widened. Their hollow eyes rolled toward him.
And then—they laughed.
A chorus of high-pitched, broken giggles echoed through the house, bouncing off every surface, drilling into his ears.
Danny gasped, forcing his body to move.
He tore free from the invisible grip, stumbling toward the staircase. His only thought—find a way out!
But every step he took, the house seemed to warp. The hallway stretched longer. Doors vanished the moment he approached.
His phone vibrated violently again.
Unknown Caller.
With trembling hands, he answered.
"Agent Wong," the cold, mechanical voice crackled through. "You forgot the most important rule."
Danny could barely breathe.
"W-What rule?"
A pause.
Then, almost gleefully—
"Once you enter the Grinning House… you can't leave… unless you're smiling."
The line went dead.
Danny's body locked up.
The woman in red was at the bottom of the staircase now, without ever moving.
Her mouth wasn't a smile anymore. It was a gaping, jagged hole. A black void pulling at the air itself.
From it, a thousand whispers poured out—
"Join us… forever smiling…"
Something snapped inside Danny.
"I'm not dying here!" he shouted.
He forced a smile—lips trembling, teeth clenched so hard they hurt.
The house… paused.
The whispers dulled.
And then—
The front door reappeared.
Without hesitation, he bolted.
He didn't dare stop smiling as he sprinted out into the storm, his face frozen in a grotesque grin.
Outside, the air felt thin and sharp.
He collapsed onto the cold pavement, gasping, wiping his face with trembling hands.
But… his lips wouldn't relax.
His muscles were locked.
He reached for his phone with numb fingers.
FROM: Fate Exchange"Congratulations, Agent Wong. You survived the Grinning House. Your commission has been deposited. Side effects… may vary."
And in the reflection of his phone screen…
He saw it.
He was still smiling. And behind him… the woman in red was standing under the streetlight, smiling too.
[End of Chapter 4]