As the scratching grows louder, Evelyn recognizes the sound from her past failures—the distinctive scraping of a specialized tool used for precise, undetectable entry, the realization striking her that the killer is not just an unknown entity, but someone with a terrifyingly familiar skillset, forcing her to confront the possibility that an old enemy has returned. The scratching stops directly behind the wall where Evelyn stands, and a single, unblinking eye appears through a newly drilled, perfectly circular peep-hole, staring directly at her with an unnerving, knowing intensity, before a muffled, distorted voice whispers her name, twisting it into a sinister promise.

The Hidden Hand