THE MARK OF THE MIDNIGHT WOLF

Amber Duvall stood at the edge of the small town of Shadow Creek, her eyes scanning the quiet streets that stretched before her like a forgotten relic of a past she didn't understand. The air was thick with the scent of pine and damp earth, the cool breeze carrying with it an odd, unsettling chill that wrapped around her like a second skin. She hadn't expected much when she left the city behind, but the isolation of this place felt more oppressive than she had anticipated.

Her car, an aging sedan that had seen better days, hummed softly as it idled by the side of the road. The sign welcoming her to Shadow Creek was simple-wooden and faded, the paint chipped and peeling from years of neglect. It seemed to echo the town itself: forgotten by time, but still clinging to some faint, inexplicable sense of identity.

Amber turned the key in the ignition, silencing the engine, and let out a deep breath. She was here now. This would be her fresh start. Or at least, that's what she had told herself for the last six months as she prepared for this moment.

Her aunt, Evelyn Duvall, had passed away just a few weeks ago, leaving behind the old house Amber had now inherited. Shadow Creek was not a place she had ever expected to visit, let alone live. It was a town she had only heard about in the occasional letter her aunt had sent over the years, full of cryptic details about the weather, the neighbors, and most often, the town's mysterious past. But Amber had grown tired of the city-tired of the noise, the people, and the haunting memories that lingered like ghosts no matter how many miles she put between them. She had come to this town seeking peace, an escape from the tumult of her life.

She swung her legs out of the car and stepped onto the gravel road, feeling the crunch beneath her boots. The town was small, barely a handful of buildings nestled between thick forests and hills, but there was something about the place that made Amber uneasy. She didn't know what it was yet. It could have been the dense canopy of trees surrounding the town, blocking out the sun and making the air feel heavier, or the faint sense of being watched that seemed to lurk just beyond her awareness.

The house, however, was all hers now. It sat a little outside the town center, on a narrow street that ended where the woods began. A large, two-story Victorian, it was painted in a muted shade of gray with ivy climbing up its walls. The porch was overgrown with vines, and a few loose shingles hung from the roof, but it had potential. Amber had seen the photos her aunt had sent her, but the house looked even more imposing in person.

She walked up the creaky steps, the wooden boards groaning underfoot as she reached the door. Her key turned in the lock with an eerie click, and the door creaked open to reveal the dim, dusty interior. The scent of old wood and musty air hit her, and for a moment, she just stood there, staring at the shadowed hallway ahead. There was a certain silence in the house that felt almost unnatural. No chirping of birds, no rustle of leaves outside-just silence, heavy and still.

"Welcome home," she muttered to herself, though the words felt hollow. There was no one here to greet her, no one to ease the strange feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Amber walked inside, setting her bag down on the wooden floor and glancing around. The house was as she remembered from the pictures-antique furniture covered in sheets, walls adorned with faded photographs of people she had never met. It felt like a house that had been frozen in time, caught between memories and the present.

As she explored the rooms, she found herself drawn to the attic. The door was hidden behind a set of old wooden bookshelves, their contents thick with dust. She pulled the door open, wincing as it creaked loudly in protest. The attic was narrow, filled with boxes of forgotten belongings, books, and old furniture. There were a few items she recognized-some from her aunt's letters, others that seemed too old to have any practical purpose.

In the corner of the room, she noticed a large, ornate trunk. It was old, the wood dark with age, but the brass handles gleamed as though they had been polished recently. Amber approached it cautiously, feeling a strange pull toward it. It felt significant, like it held something important-something tied to her aunt, and perhaps to the town itself.

She knelt down and unlatched the trunk, lifting the heavy lid with a grunt. Inside, there was a mixture of old clothes, papers, and odd trinkets, but what caught her eye was a leather-bound journal lying at the bottom. The cover was embossed with an intricate design-a symbol she couldn't place, but one that felt oddly familiar. She reached for it and ran her fingers over the worn leather. The weight of it seemed to settle in her hands, as though it had been waiting for her.