Pack of Shadows

ly in her backpack, its contents a constant reminder of the questions swirling in her mind. The woods loomed before her, a dense wall of ancient

called to her mother. But unlike her mother, Ava was determined to confront whatever lay within its shadowy

The scent of pine and damp earth surrounded her, grounding her in the present even as the past seemed to whisper at the edg

st swallowed by the undergrowth, but it was clear that someone, or something had walked this way before. A shiver ran down her s

trange markings on the trees, symbols carved into the bark, their meanings lost to time. She ran her fingers over one of them, the groo

llness. The only sound was the steady thud of her heartbeat in her ears. She had lost track of how far she

center of the clearing stood a large, weathered stone, its surface covered in the same strange symbols she had seen

arly her height, and its surface was smooth in some places, worn by time and weather. She could

leaping into her throat, but there was nothing there, only the trees, their branches swaying gently in

see the details in the carvings. Some of the symbols were familiar, resembling the ancient runes she had se

were charged with static, and she could almost feel a low hum vibrating through her fingertips. There was something

r hand tingling, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the stone. Images flashed through her mind, dark shapes movin

appening, it was more than just her imagination. The stone was connected to somet

What di

she was looking for. Her mother had written about a stone, a place deep in the woods where she had felt the presence of

s also a doorway that should never be opened. There are things that dwell in the shadows, things that hunger for the light. I have kep

with a sense of dread she couldn't shake. She had come to Hollow Creek searching for answers, but all she had f

ees. The feeling of being watched was stronger now, more intense, as if the

Whatever the stone was, whatever secrets it