Her Eyes Never Blinked

STORY ABOUT A BETRAYAL GIRL

It started with a dare.

"Stay one night in the Ashwood House," they said.
"Just till sunrise. If you’re brave enough."

Lena, 22 and never one to back down, smirked as she stepped through the rotting gates of the abandoned manor. Her friends waited outside, too scared to follow. That was fine — she liked her thrill personal.

Inside, the air was cold and still. Furniture was draped in sheets. Dust hung like fog in the dim glow of her flashlight. But what caught her eye immediately... were the paintings.

Dozens of portraits lined the hall, every one of them featuring the same woman: dark hair, pale skin, ruby-red lips... and eyes that never seemed to close.

Ever.

Each painting showed her in a different pose — lying on a chaise, brushing her hair, even asleep — but her eyes were always open.

Lena shivered.

She explored further, finding the bedroom with the largest portrait of the woman above the fireplace. In this one, the eyes were painted so realistically, they seemed to shimmer when light touched them. Out of curiosity (or recklessness), Lena whispered,
"Who are you?"

The floor creaked.
The fire suddenly lit itself.

Startled, Lena stepped back... and that’s when she noticed:
The woman's expression had changed.

Her lips, once closed, were now curled into a smile. A slow, cruel smile.

Lena turned to run — but the bedroom door slammed shut.

Then, a voice... sultry, right in her ear:

“Why leave? I’ve waited so long for company... someone with pretty eyes.”

She spun around.

The woman from the painting stood there.
But she wasn’t just flesh and bone.
Her skin glistened like wet oil. Her eyes—wide, unblinking—glowed faintly red.

“You're not real,” Lena whispered.

“Neither were you, until you came here.”

Hands cold as ice caressed Lena’s face, tracing the curve of her jaw.

The woman leaned in close.
And whispered something that chilled her to her soul:

“The others blinked. That’s how I took them. You? You’ll be mine for longer.”

---

Lena’s friends found the house empty the next morning. No signs of struggle, no Lena.
Just a new painting in the hallway.

Her eyes… never blinked.