Pack of Shadows

he journal felt heavy, almost as if it carried the weight of the secrets her mother had kept hidden for so long. As she walked back through the qui

The old house, with its peeling paint and creaky floors, seemed almost to breathe as she stepped inside, as if it were alive with memories and whispers of

invitation, and Ava couldn't ignore the chill that had settled over her since reading it. But she had come too far to turn back

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ft this place to escape the shadows that haunt it, but they have followed me all these years, lingering just out of sight. Now that I

know yet. But the tension in her writing was palpable, the kind of fear that clings to you even in the day

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rse, whispers follow me wherever I go. I see it in their eyes, the questions they're too polite to ask. But it's the forest that's changed the most

ea that her mother had felt the same unease, even after all those years, sent a wave of anxiety cou

ows that had consumed her own life. There were mentions of strange occurrences, a chill in the air on warm nights, glimpses of movement in th

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wet beneath my feet. I can hear them behind me, the creatures of the night, their breath hot on my neck. But I can never see them, only feel their presence, dark and me

t had followed her even into her dreams. The forest was more than just a backdrop to this story, it w

weeks later, and the tone had shifted. The fear was still there, but it was tinged w

20th,

keep running, can't keep hiding from what I am, from what we are. The blood that runs through our veins is tied to this place, to the forest and its ancient magic. I've tried to live

ecret, this ancient magic that tied them to the forest? She flipped through the remaining

ched the surface of a much deeper mystery, one that involved not just her mother, but herself as well. The howls, the strange occurr

eft her with more questions than she had started with, and the sense of unease th

ouldn't face this mystery alone. She needed help, someone who knew the town and its

If anyone knew about the town's history, it might be her. And then there was Daniel Harper,

the shadows of the past dictate her future. She had come to Hollow Creek for a fresh

he day was bright and clear, the sky a deep, untroubled blue. But as she stepped outside and locked the door behind her,

edge of her hearing, she thought