**_He tiptoed into the basement, holding his breath. Sweat started to gather between his palm and the flashlight as he approached the bottom of the staircase. He cringed as he heard the noise again, closer than it had ever been. His foot finally stepped off the staircase and he slowly turned his head around the corner. A brief rush of relief washed over him as he saw that there was nothing there. He knew there was still something to be afraid of. He had never believed in thr supernatural, but his grip on reality was starting to slip, and what he used to be so sure of felt distant, unreliable. _****_._**