the jaws of the silent graves

2024 oct 1st.

My name is ellie i am a 26 year old journalist, just recently i have an interest on visiting the village of Black Hollow. I felt like it was holding its breath, caught in a timeless grip that sent a shiver up my spine. Even from the car, as we approached the broken down wooden sign marking the town's entrance, there was something brutal in the air. The trees lining the road seemed to close in on us, branches tangled like skeletal hands reaching for us. No cell signal, of course. I half expected that.

"I swear, it's like we're driving into the set of a horror movie"

said Jake from the passenger seat, his voice breaking the eerie silence. He was right. Black Hollow had the same aura as the kind of places people tell ghost stories about.

I kept my eyes on the road but couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching us from those dark woods.

"Well, that's the job, Jake. We're here to investigate a myth, not make friends" i said with a serious tone

He laughed nervously, his camera resting on his lap. "Yeah, the myth of an ancient monster that nobody can prove even exists. Sounds like good story material."

"Sounds like bullshit, you mean" came Rachel's voice from the back. She sat with her arms crossed, her doubtness thick as always. "Just some old villagers trying to scare tourists."

"Maybe," I said, though my voice didn't quite hold the conviction I hoped for. "But something's going on here. And where there's smoke, there's usually fire."

We finally rolled into the center of Black Hollow, if you could even call it that. A handful of weakened houses slumped against the weight of time, their wooden frames rotting and sagging. Everything was muted, dull, as if the town itself was dying slowly and painfully.

"Where is everyone?" asked Sam, his eyes scanning the empty streets. He was always the calm, logical one of the group, but even he sounded uneasy. "There's no one here."

"They'll come out," I said, more to reassure myself than anyone else. "Villagers like this don't trust outsiders. Let's just find the inn."

The van was parked close to what appeared to be the village square. A small, crooked structure that appeared to be the inn was located on one side of the decrepit church, which towered over the other with its steeple barely holding up. Through the curtains, I could see movement.

A few steps later, we were greeted by the innkeeper, an old woman hunched over like she was being crushed under some invisible weight. Her eyes were milky, clouded with cataracts, but they followed us with a sharpness that made my skin crawl.

"You're the ones asking about IT" she said in a rough tone, not a question but a statement.

Rachel scoffed under her breath, but I stepped forward. "We're journalists. We heard about the stories, the disappearances, and the... myth" i said as sweat started coming down my chin

The old woman's mouth twitched, something between a smile and a grimace. "There's no myth here, only the truth. You'll see. Just like the others did."

"Others?" Jake asked, now looking more interested. "What others?"

She waved us off, muttering something under her breath about the catacombs. I caught a word here and there regarding sacrifice, hunger, and something that sounded like it never sleeps.

"Yeah, okay, thanks for the warm welcome," Rachel muttered, pushing past her into the inn.

The rooms were as you'd expect dark, musty, and cold. I didn't mind. I'd stayed in worse places for stories. But something about Black Hollow, the way the walls seemed to scattered around us, made me feel uneasy. Jake set up his camera equipment while Sam and Rachel bickered about who would get the first interview with the villagers. Meanwhile, I couldn't shake the old woman's words.

"There's no myth here, only truth."

That night, I lay in bed staring at the cracked ceiling, trying to shut off the relentless thoughts. I've covered weird stories before like urban legends about a shape shifting monster, ghost sightings, a murderer who is said to be an ordinary man, you name it, but something about this place felt different. Like the air itself was thick with something wrong.

The wind howled outside, shaking the shutters, and for a moment, I thought I heard a whisper, low and guttural, seeping through the walls. My pulse quickened, but I brushed it off as exhaustion.

I was wrong.

The nightmare came fast, like a rock into icy water. In my dream, I stood in the middle of Black Hollow, but the village was different, dark, rotting, and swallowed by a thick fog. I heard something moving beneath my feet, deep underground, a sound like bones grinding against stone.

I wanted to run, but my legs wouldn't move. That's when I saw it a shadow, slithering out from beneath the earth, a mass of flesh, twisted and grotesque. Its body was a tangle of limbs, eyes, and mouths, all shifting, devouring themselves, like a living nightmare. And then it looked at me. Not with eyes, but with a hunger so vast, it felt like it would consume my very soul.

I tried to scream, but no sound came out. I could only stand there, paralyzed, as it crawled toward me, its many mouths opening and closing, whispering something in a language I couldn't understand.

When I woke, drenched in cold sweat, my heart was racing so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. The room was silent, but I swear I could still hear that whisper, lingering in the back of my mind.

I glanced over at the others, sleeping soundly. But I knew something wasn't right. Something was wrong with this place, and I had a feeling we were just scratching the surface of a much darker truth.

In the silence of that night, I felt it again, something watching, waiting, hungry

I woke to a chill settling over the inn, the kind that clung to your skin and seeped into your bones. The remnants of my nightmare hung over me like a dense fog, refusing to disappear. I sat up, the shadows in the corners of the room creeping closer, as if they were alive and aware of my fear. I couldn't shake the feeling that the whispering had followed me into the waking world. 

As I slipped out of bed, I noticed Rachel staring at me, her eyebrows knitted together in concern. "You okay, Ellie? You looked like you were wrestling with something in your sleep."

"Yeah, just a weird dream," I said, forcing a smile. "Nothing I can't handle."

But as I joined the others for breakfast, I couldn't help but notice how their faces reflected my own anxiety. Jake was fidgeting with his camera, while Sam poked at his plate, seemingly lost in thought. Rachel, on the other hand, seemed more restless than usual. 

"We should try interviewing the villagers again today," I suggested, trying to shake off the dread that clung to me. "There has to be someone willing to talk about the creature."

"Or scare us off," Rachel replied, rolling her eyes. "I'd rather not get chased out of town by a bunch of crazies."

"Let's just be careful," I urged. "We need to gather as much information as we can."

The first stop was a small general store at the edge of the village. A bell jingled as we entered, drawing the attention of a man behind the counter, who looked like he hadn't seen the sun in years. His eyes were sunken, dark circles beneath them creating a haunting shadow on his pallid face.

"Welcome," he said, his voice scratchy like gravel. "What can I get you?"

"We're journalists," I began, forcing my voice to sound confident. "We're looking into the stories about the creature in the woods. We heard you might know something."

The man's eyes darted around the room, as if expecting someone to overhear. "Best to keep your mouth shut about that," he said, lowering his voice. "Things best left buried. There are no creatures in the woods, only the things we've buried."

"What do you mean?" Sam pressed, curiosity getting the better of him. "People have gone missing, and-"

"Not missing " the man interrupted, his gaze growing wild. "Taken. By the Womb of Rot. It feeds on our fears, our secrets. You shouldn't have come here "

"Isn't there someone who can tell us more?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady despite the chill creeping up my spine.

He shook his head, fear in his eyes, "You don't want to know. Just leave while you still can "

The ominous warning hung in the air as we exited the store. The atmosphere was heavy, filled with unspoken truths and hidden horrors. 

"Okay, that was creepy" Jake said, glancing back at the store. "What kind of monster makes a guy like that so scared?"

I shrugged, though my heart raced. "Let's keep going. We'll find someone who's willing to talk "

We wandered through the narrow streets, stopping at various houses, each one more broken than the last. The villagers we encountered only added to the sense of dread. 

An elderly woman, her back hunched like the withered roots of a tree, sat on her porch, knitting what looked like a tattered doll. As we approached, she glanced up, her eyes widening with fear. "You shouldn't be here. You shouldn't have come back"

"Back?" Rachel echoed, incredulous. "What do you mean?"

"The creature knows" the woman said, her voice quivering. "It knows your name. It hungers for your fear"

"We just want to understand" I said, desperation creeping into my tone. "Can you tell us what you know?"

With a trembling hand, she pointed toward the woods. "The trees whisper at night. They tell of the past, of what lies beneath. The Womb will wake again. It is hungry"

As we pressed her for more details, she fell silent, clutching her doll to her chest like a shield, her eyes glazing over as if she were already lost to whatever horrors lurked in her mind.

"Okay, this is getting us nowhere" Rachel huffed, frustration coloring her voice. "These people are terrified and won't give us anything useful"

"Let's try the church," I suggested, thinking of the ominous building we had passed earlier. "Maybe someone there can help us."

The church door creaked open as we entered, the scent of mold and decay spreading through the air. A priest stood at the altar, his face gaunt, eyes shadowed by deep lines of worry. He looked up, startled by our presence.

"What brings you here?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"We're looking for information about the creature that haunts the village," I said, hoping for a glimmer of understanding.

"The creature?" he echoed, and I could see his hands tremble. "It is not a creature but a curse. The people of Black Hollow sealed something away long ago, something that should have never been disturbed."

"What do you mean?" Jake pressed, arms crossed eager for more details.

"The stories are true," the priest continued, his eyes darting around nervously. "There are catacombs beneath the village-dark, twisted tunnels where unspeakable things were imprisoned. We made a pact, but the pact is breaking."

"Breaking?" I repeated, feeling the weight of dread settling on my chest.

"The hunger grows," he said, stepping closer, his voice lowering to a hush. "Every generation, it demands a sacrifice. If you wish to understand, you must seek the entrance to the catacombs. But know this…. You may not return."

We all got goosebumps as the air felt colder than ice

"Where is it?" I demanded, my heart pounding in my ears.

He hesitated, glancing toward the door. "In the woods, near the old oak. But do not go there. Not now. The Womb of Rot is restless."

We all looked at eachother thinking to ourselves if the priest was just trying to scare us but the thought of that quickly fades away as we see the priest slowly weeps holding a cross tightly kneeling in front of us.

We left the church in stunned silence, my mind racing. The pieces were starting to fit together, but I felt a sense of a bad premonition that only deepened with each revelation.

"Did you hear that?" Rachel whispered, her voice trembling as we walked away. "They're all terrified, Ellie. What if we're digging into something we shouldn't?"

"We can't turn back now," jake replied, the thrill of the unknown igniting something dark within him. "We need to find the entrance."

I however also wanted to figure out what was going on, as I saw rachels worried face, Jake's forced smile and Sam's confused expression. I was hoping something good would happen.

As we headed toward the edge of the village, the sun began to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows that twisted and writhed across the ground. The forest loomed ahead, dark and foreboding. 

The old oak was unmistakable, its gnarled branches reaching out like tiny hands. I felt drawn to it, an invisible force urging me closer. 

"Is this it?" Sam asked, glancing around nervously. 

"Look!" Jake shouted, pointing toward a dark crevice at the base of the tree. 

There it was, the entrance to the catacombs, half-hidden by roots and dirt. A sense of dread washed over me as I stepped closer, peering into the darkness.

"Are we really doing this?" Rachel asked, fear evident in her voice. "It's not too late to turn back."

"We came here for a reason," I said, feeling the weight of every villager's fear pressing down on me. "We need to know the truth."

As we stood at the edge of the darkness, I felt it again the whispers, low and insistent, coiling around my mind, pulling me closer.

"Okay, let's do this," I said, my voice steady despite the trembling in my gut. 

With a shared glance of resolve, we stepped into the darkness, and I couldn't shake the feeling that we were walking straight into the jaws of silent graves, where the shadows awaited us, hungry and patient.

The darkness of the catacombs swallowed us whole as we stood at the entrance, uncertainty hanging in the air like the stale smell of damp earth. Flickering flashlight beams danced along the walls, casting creepy shadows that twisted and warped in the darkness. 

"Are we really doing this?" Rachel's voice trembled, breaking the heavy silence. "This place feels wrong, like it's alive."

"Come on, Rachel " Jake replied, the irritation in his tone evident. "We didn't come all this way to chicken out now. We need to find out what happened here."

"It's just a cave " Sam added, trying to sound reassuring. "We'll go in, take a look, and if it gets too creepy, we can leave. Right?" sam said as he nodded at us

"I don't know, guys," I said, my heart racing. "This place gives me the creeps. The villagers were scared for a reason."

"Look, we've already come this far," Jake insisted. "We have to check it out. Who knows what we might find down here?"

"Yeah, maybe we'll find the 'Womb of Rot' and become its next snack " Rachel snapped. 

"Or we could uncover the truth!" jake countered, trying to instill a sense of purpose. "Think of what we could write about. This could be huge!"

"Fine, let's go," Rachel finally relented, through her eyes reflected the doubt swirling in her mind. "But if anything feels off, we turn around, got it?"

"Deal " Jake said, taking a deep breath as we stepped into the darkness.

The air grew colder with each step, wrapping around us like a shroud. I could feel the weight of the earth pressing down, the atmosphere thickening as we ventured deeper. The darkness seemed to pulse, alive and breathing, whispering secrets in a language that felt just out of reach. As we moved forward, the passage opened into a larger chamber, the walls lined with strange markings and drawings. I felt a chill creep up my spine, not just from the cold but from the grotesque images etched into the stone.

"Guys, look at this!" Sam called, pointing at a series of drawings depicting a monstrous figure, its many eyes and mouths wide open in a silent scream, its limbs twisting unnaturally.

"Is that… a human?" Rachel gasped, her flashlight illuminating a drawing of a figure being consumed by the creature, a look of terror frozen on its face.

I stepped closer, my heart pounding. "This looks like the monster the villagers were talking about. But why is it depicted like this?"

Sam's eyes widened as he noticed a pile of yellowing documents in the corner. "Check this out. It looks like someone documented everything about it "

I hurried over, my hands shaking as I reached for the papers. The first few pages were filled with frantic scrawls, hastily written notes, and drawings that sent chills down my spine. "These are written by an old journalist," I murmured. "Fifty years ago… he was investigating the same thing we are."

"What does it say?" Jake asked, peeking over my shoulder.

"It talks about the creature being an eldritch god sealed away five hundred years ago," I read aloud, my voice trembling. "It feeds on fear and requires sacrifices every fifty years."

"What the hell," Rachel whispered, looking around nervously. "That's insane."

"Maybe that's why the villagers are so terrified," Sam suggested, his eye brow furrowed. "They've been living with this knowledge, waiting for the next sacrifice."

Meanwhile, Rachel and Jake had wandered further into the chamber while me and Sam were still reading the documents, their flashlights illuminating the far wall. "Guys, over here!" Rachel called out, her voice echoing off the stone walls. 

"What is it?" I asked, looking up from the documents.

Jake's voice shook as he stammered, "There are… bones. Lots of bones." 

I turned just in time to see them step into a smaller room off to the side. The sight made my stomach drop. The floor was littered with skeletal remains, human bones scattered as if a grim collection had been abandoned here. "What the hell?" I whispered, horrified.

Then, I heard it, a soft whisper, familiar yet chilling. "Ellie…" 

"Did you hear that?" I asked, my heart racing. 

"Yeah, it sounded like-" Sam started but then fell silent as we all strained to listen.

"Come… play with me," the voice said again, and it sent a wave of dread through me. It was unmistakably a child's voice.

"Where's it coming from?" Rachel whispered, backing away slowly. 

Suddenly, the air thickened, and an oppressive darkness seemed to envelop us, wrapping around us like a suffocating blanket. 

"Let's get out of here," I urged, but my voice was barely audible over the rising fear. "This isn't right " i said with a scared tone

"I need to know what it wants," Jake said, a strange determination in his eyes. He was stepping further into the room filled with bones, drawn by the whisper that seemed to call to him. 

"Jake, don't!" Rachel shouted, but it was too late. The darkness seemed to pulse, and suddenly, Jake's face shifted, a mixture of terror and longing etched on his features.

"Is it… you?" he whispered, reaching out as if he could touch the voice he heard. 

"Come with me, Jake," the voice beckoned. "It's safe…"

"What are you doing?" Rachel yelled, panic rising in her voice. "That's not real!"

But Jake stepped deeper into the shadows, the familiarity of the voice clouding his judgment. I felt my heart race as I turned back to the documents, the horror of what lay before us sinking in. 

Then Sam suddenly grabbed my arm. "Ellie, look!"

The drawings I had been examining morphed into nightmarish images. The creature's many mouths opened wide, as if hungry for us, but the whispers drowned everything out. It was a noise of voices, each one more urgent than the last, the fear visible in the air.

"Come… come to us… it's hungry…"

"Jake, you need to come back!" Rachel screamed, her voice echoing in the chamber.

But he stood frozen, staring into the dark. "It's my sister… I thought I lost you…" he murmured, tears glistening in his eyes as he saw his deceased sister.

"Jake, no! This isn't real!" Rachel cried, taking a step forward, but the darkness seemed to pulse, blocking her way.

"Let her go!" Jake shouted, his voice growing desperate, echoing against the stone walls. "You're not real! You drowned! I couldn't save you!" Jake said as he remembered that his sister drowned from a flood years ago.

Suddenly, Jake collapsed to his knees, hands gripping his head. "No! No! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

"Jake!" Rachel screamed, rushing toward him, but the shadows around him thickened, swallowing him whole.

The whispers grew louder, more chaotic, merging into a single voice, darker and more powerful. 

"You let her drown… you let her drown… you're the one…"

The floor beneath Jake shimmered, warping into a grotesque illusion of water, rippling as if he were truly drowning. Panic surged through me as I realized what was happening. 

"Jake, get out of there!" I yelled, my voice barely breaking through the defeaning chaos of whispers.

Then, in a horrific moment of clarity, Jake's eyes turned cold, and with a sudden, violent motion, he pulled a shard of bone from the ground. "I'm sorry sis!" he shouted, his voice breaking.

"No!" Rachel screamed, horror stricken, but it was too late. 

Jake tore into his own throat, blood spraying in the dim light as he fell to the ground, his body convulsing. The whispers reached a deafening crescendo, echoing in my ears as I backed away, paralyzed by fear. 

"Ellie! Help!" Rachel cried, her voice cutting through the madness. 

I could only stand there, my heart racing as I watched Jake slip away, the reality of our situation crashing down on me like a wave. As darkness enveloped me, the last thing I heard was Rachel's scream, piercing through the silence of the catacombs, a haunting reminder of the horror we had stumbled into.

As the darkness receded, I blinked, struggling to comprehend the horror laid out before me. Jake's lifeless body lay dead on the cold stone floor, blood pooling around him, the echoes of his last moments haunting my mind. Rachel was cowering in a corner, eyes wide with disbelief, her breath coming in shallow gasps.

"Oh God… oh God!" she whimpered, shaking her head in denial. "This can't be real. This can't be happening!"

I felt my heart race, my stomach churning as I stepped closer to Jake, but Sam grabbed my arm, his face pale. "We need to get out of here."

"No!" Rachel cried out, scrambling to her feet. "We can't leave him here! We can't!"

"Rachel, listen to me!" I pleaded, feeling a surge of fear. "We have to leave! This place is cursed!"

But before I could say anything else, Rachel turned and sprinted down a dark corridor, her footsteps echoing against the stone walls. 

"Rachel, wait!" I shouted, but she was already gone.

"We have to follow her!" I insisted, as I glanced at Sam with wide eyes. "She's lost!"

"No, she's being reckless!" Sam argued, dread pooling in his gut. "We should leave while we still can!"

"Sam, we can't leave her behind!" My voice was desperate. "If we don't go after her, she could get hurt… or worse!"

The determination in My eyes struck a chord within sam, and against his better judgment, he nodded.

 "Fine, but if anything goes wrong, we're out of here " Sam said with a sigh.

We hurried down the corridor, the echoes of Rachel's terrified screams guiding us deeper into the catacombs. "Rachel!" I called, but only silence answered back, thick and suffocating.

As we turned a corner, we heard her voice echoing through the dark, laced with fear. "Where am I? Where is everyone?" 

"Rachel!" I shouted, panic rising in my chest. "We're coming!"

We stumbled into a large chamber filled with shadowy corners and empty spaces, the air heavy with a sense of dread. Rachel's breathing grew louder, frantic, as if she were lost in a maze of horrors.

Suddenly, I heard her scream again, a sound that twisted my heart. "Ellie! Sam! Help me!"

"Rachel!" Sam yelled, darting toward the sound. I followed closely behind, my heart pounding in rhythm with my racing thoughts.

"Where are you?!" I shouted, desperate to reach her. "Stay where you are!"

Rachel's voice echoed again, but this time it was laced with recognition and terror. "No! Get away from me!" 

We ran into another room, and I froze at the sight before me. Rachel stood there, eyes wide and wild, trembling as she stared into the darkness. "Please! No!" she screamed again, backing away.

I felt a chill run down my spine as I caught a glimpse of a figure stepping out of the shadows,her father, or what I thought was him. He looked alive, healthy, and menacing as he advanced toward her. "Rachel, my dear. I've missed you. You've always been so special to me," he said, his voice oozing with malice. 

"No! You're not real!" she shouted, shaking her head violently. "You're dead! You died a long time ago!"

But the figure continued, his voice dark and twisted. "Oh, but you loved it when I tortured you. You can still feel it, can't you? The pain is part of you."

"Stop!" Rachel cried, pressing herself against the wall. "You're not real! You can't hurt me anymore!"

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced her arm, and she gasped as she saw him holding a gleaming blade. "You need to learn your place, Rachel," he shows his teeth, advancing toward her.

"Ellie! Sam! Help!" Rachel screamed, backing away in terror. As she ran away again through the narrow hallway

"We have to help her!" I shouted, turning to Sam. "We need to find a way to snap her out of it!"

"Look at the documents!" Sam yelled, frantically flipping through the pages I had collected. "There's something here about overcoming fear… something about embracing it!"

"What?!" I exclaimed, reading over his shoulder. "It says we need to face it, confront it head on to defeat this creature."

"We have to get to Rachel!" Sam urged, his eyes filled with determination. "If she embraces her fear, maybe it'll break the illusion!"

Just then, I heard Rachel's voice again, shaking with despair. "No! Get away from me!" 

"Rachel!" I shouted, urging Sam to follow me as we sprinted toward her voice.

We reached a narrow corridor, the walls closing in around us, and stepped into another room. The moment we entered, I spotted Rachel crouched beside a door, holding a shard of broken glass. "Rachel!" I cried, trying to reach her. "Please, listen to us!"

She looked up, eyes brimming with tears, but the image of her father still loomed behind her, taunting her. "He's going to hurt me! He always hurts me!" 

"Rachel, he's not real! You're stronger than this!" I pleaded, desperation flooding my voice.

"Just embrace your fear, Rachel!" Sam added, stepping closer to her. "Face him! You can do this!"

As if hearing us, Rachel's father chuckled darkly as he then appeared in front of Rachel. "You think you can escape me? I'll always be a part of you."

The moment felt suspended in time. Rachel closed her eyes, trembling, as she prepared for the confrontation. With a swift motion, she lunged forward, glass glinting in her hand.

But just as she was about to strike, she heard my voice again, sharper this time. "No, Rachel! Stop!" 

Her eyes flew open, and in that split second of hesitation, she turned, the glass slicing into the neck of the figure before her. The blood flowed freely, soaking her hands as she staggered back.

"Rachel!" Sam shouted, his voice filled with horror.

As she looked down, she realized she hadn't attacked her father but Sam. "No! No! I didn't mean to!" she cried, her voice breaking as she dropped the glass.

"I… I can't breathe," Sam gasped, his hands clutching his neck, blood pouring through his fingers as he kneeled and fell down.

"No!" Rachel screamed, falling to her knees beside him. "I thought it was my father! I thought-"

But before she could finish, a chilling noise echoed through the catacombs, a horrifying sound that sent tremors through my body.

"Get up!" I yelled with tears in my eyes as I saw Sam's lifeless body, pulling Rachel to her feet as panic surged through me. "We need to get out of here! Now!"

We stumbled back into the corridor, racing against the darkness closing in on us. The air was thick with fear, our own cries and the distant screams of our friends blending together into a haunting chorus.

"Ellie, where do we go?" Rachel cried, her face pale and streaked with tears. 

"Just keep running! The exit has to be closed!" I urged, my heart pounding.

We rounded another corner and finally caught sight of the faint glimmer of light ahead, the exit. "There!" I shouted, desperation fueling my legs as we sprinted toward it.

As we neared the doorway, the cries of our dead friends echoed around us, growing louder, their voices a cacophony of anguish and despair." Help!" "Don't leave" shouted by the voices of Jake and sam. The shadows reached for us, pulling at our limbs, but we didn't stop.

Finally, we burst through the doorway and into the cold night air, gasping for breath. We ran through the village and headed towards our van, panic still coursing through our veins. 

"Get in! Get in!" I yelled, fumbling with the door as Rachel stood frozen beside me inside the van, shock blanketing her features.

I scrambled into the driver's seat, my hands shaking as I turned the key in the ignition. "Start! Come on!" 

But as I looked out the window, dread pooled in my stomach. The villagers stood around us, their faces twisted with emptiness, holding pitchforks and weapons, their eyes glinting with malice. 

"Ellie… what's happening?" Rachel whispered, terror flickering in her voice. 

I glanced around the van, desperately searching for a way out. "We need to get out of here!" I shouted, but the engine sputtered and died. 

"Ellie, they're surrounding us!" Rachel cried, pressing herself against the window. "What do we do?"

I felt the weight of despair crash over me like a tidal wave. The villagers closed in, their expressions a mix of sadness and fear. 

"We… were trapped," I murmured, the reality of our situation settling in. 

As their voices rose in a bland chant, echoing our failure, I could only think of the horrors we had encountered in the catacombs, the darkness that awaited us inside, and the sacrifices that had been made. And now, there was nowhere left to run.

The villagers then forced their way onto our van as they first grabbed rachel dragging her away.

"Ellie! Help! " Rachel screamed with terror in her voice.

I was then grabbed by the villagers as well, as I struggled to be free. I was hit on the head by a shovel making me lose consciousness.

I woke up with an aching head, my heart racing, disoriented and gasping for air. My body felt heavy, weighed down, and as I blinked against the darkness, I realized I was kneeling. Panic surged through me as I tried to move, but something held me in place. I looked around, and a rush of dread washed over me.

Rachel was beside me, tied up just like I was, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Ellie!" she cried, her voice breaking. "What's happening? Where are we?"

"I don't know," I whispered, straining against the ropes. "I think the villagers… they took us."

Our eyes widened as the villagers emerged from the shadows, their faces obscured by dark robes adorned with a symbol of an upside down triangle and a circle in the center. The air was thick with a plain sense of dread as they encircled us.

From among them stepped the priest from before, his demeanor both calm and sinister. "Welcome, my children," he intoned, his voice smooth yet chilling. "You are now in the presence of Warzick, the eldritch Chaos God of Fear."

"Warzick?" Rachel gasped, glancing at me with wide, terrified eyes. 

"Yes," the priest continued, moving closer. "He has fed on fear for centuries, and every fifty years, he requires a new sacrifice and a follower. You two have been chosen."

"Chosen?" I echoed, my voice trembling. "Why are you doing this? Just let us go!"

He chuckled softly, a sound devoid of any warmth. "If Warzick is not satisfied with the fear he engulfs, he will unleash his terror upon humanity, ensuring that all live in eternal fear. We, the villagers, are caretakers of his will. We embrace the darkness to keep the world from being consumed by it."

"So you're telling me you've done this before? To others?" Rachel cried, shaking her head in disbelief. "You can't just—"

"Indeed, the people of this village are also just like you, once outsiders who turned to be followers" the priest interjected. "Every new visitor is a potential follower. You have embraced fear; you have shown it in your hearts. You both could be a sacrifice or newcomers, This is your fate now."

I felt the cold grip of despair settle in my chest. "But… Rachel and I, we could be followers instead! We could help you!" 

The priest's eyes narrowed, and he pointed toward the grotesque form that had emerged from the shadows, Warzick itself. The god loomed before us, a monstrous silhouette of writhing shadows and glimmering eyes, its presence radiating malevolence.

"Do not think you have a choice in this matter," the priest said with a calm tone. "Warzick will decide your fate."

The god moved closer, its many eyes locking onto mine, and before ui knew it I was swallowed by darkness. Suddenly, I was no longer in the village but back in my past, reliving my childhood. I felt the weight of my parents' death at the age of ten, the sting of bullying, the suffocating grip of toxic relationships, my ex's voice taunting me, reminding me of my failures.

"Will you accept it all again?" a chilling voice whispered from the shadows. "Or will you choose a different life, a happier existence?"

I hesitated, feeling the fear rising within me. But then as I experienced all those harsh and tragic matters again, clarity broke through the fog of my memories. "I accept it," I murmured, my voice steady despite the turmoil. "Fear is a natural part of life. Without it, life is a mere facade."

The god nodded, and suddenly, I was back in the village, the weight of my decision settling around me. Rachel looked at me, confusion and concern etched on her features. "Ellie, are you okay?"

"I'm-" I began, but the words got cut as I saw Warzick shift, its attention now turning toward Rachel.

"Ellie, please!" Rachel screamed, her voice filled with terror. "Help me!"

"No, Rachel!" I shouted, reaching for her, but it was too late. The god unleashed a horrific growl, and Rachel's eyes widened in horror, blood spilling from them as they popped in a gruesome display. 

"Rachel!" I screamed, collapsing to my knees. I reached out, but she fell, covered in her own blood, her body limp and lifeless. "I'm so sorry!" I whispered, tears streaming down my face. 

Warzick turned to me, its gaze intense and mystifying. The clouds above darkened, heavy with the promise of rain, as the chaos around us swirled in a cacophony of despair.

"Your sacrifice has been made," the priest announced, standing tall before me while looking down with a sad expression. "You are now a follower of Warzick."

I stared at the body of my friend, my heart shattered. "What… what will happen to me?"

The priest gestured toward the darkness. "You will embrace fear and help nurture it, keeping humanity in check. Warzick will protect you from the worst of its wrath."

I felt numb, the weight of my decision pressing down on me. Without questioning anything further, I nodded, accepting my fate. 

4 Months later.

I stood in my modest home at the edge of the village, the silence surrounding me almost deafening. I inattentively cleaned the space, my gaze drifting to the entrance of the catacombs, a dark reminder of my choices.

As I scrubbed my wooden floor board, a chilling thought crossed my mind, who would be the next unlucky guests to wander into our village? A smile, twisted and empty, crept onto my face. I would be ready to welcome them, to embrace their fears, and to guide them into the shadows, just as I had been guided. 

The end.