Elaine lived alone in a massive manor, far removed from the nearest town. Known for her vast collection of rare and exotic artifacts, she was something of a recluse, her only interaction with the outside world being the occasional delivery of new acquisitions.

One foggy evening, a new artifact arrived: an ancient, cursed doll, said to bring misfortune to its owners. Undeterred by such superstitions, Elaine placed the doll in her exhibition room and retired for the night.

Late into the night, she was awakened by the sound of shuffling feet echoing through the grand halls. The sound was getting closer. Heart pounding, she locked her bedroom door, and dialed the police. She could hear the intruder outside her door, fumbling with the handle.

Suddenly, the phone line went dead, leaving Elaine in oppressive silence. The door creaked open slowly, revealing a ghastly figure. His skin was grey, his eyes hollow and his grin stretched grotesquely across his face, revealing rows of jagged, yellow teeth. He was clutching the cursed doll.

A wave of terror washed over Elaine as the intruder advanced, and she instinctively reached for the antique sword on her wall. But it was too late. The intruder lunged at her, sinking his jagged teeth into her neck. Elaine screamed, a horrific sound that echoed through the manor, before everything went dark.

When the police arrived, they found a gruesome scene: Elaine, lifeless on her bedroom floor, bite marks covering her body. The cursed doll sat on her bed, its eyes eerily reflecting the flashing police lights. But the intruder was nowhere to be found.

Elaine’s manor was left abandoned, the townsfolk too frightened to even approach it. The once captivating collection of artifacts became a chilling reminder of Elaine’s brutal end.

Years later, on foggy nights, locals reported hearing screams echoing from the manor, followed by a dreadful silence. They whispered of a ghastly figure seen wandering the halls, clutching a doll. It seemed that the manor was not just haunted by Elaine’s spirit, but also by her gruesome killer, forever reliving the night of her untimely demise. Elaine’s fascination with cursed artifacts had ultimately led to a fate far more terrifying than any of her collections could foretell.