Shiloh knocked, waited, then cracked the door. 

The house was dark and musty. It reeked of old cigarettes and beer. 

He paused and in the near silence could hear what sounded like breathing. 

Neighbors had reported hearing someone inside, seeing lights in the windows, but Shiloh saw no one now. Just signs of previous vagrants and transients. 

As a child, his mother had forbidden him to play around here, and now as Sheriff he was uneasy. 

The wind blew and he could hear the awful breathing sound again. 

If only the house had been truly, truly empty.