THE MYSTERIOUS INHABITANT

Avery and Ethan tread carefully along the main road of Ravenshore. This small town was silent and felt increasingly eerie. This morning, the weather was cloudy, and dark clouds hung in the sky, adding to the gloomy atmosphere of the town already full of mystery. The two detectives were determined to delve deeper into the strange events that had befallen this town, especially after finding suspicious evidence at the previous crime scene.

They decided to start their investigation by talking to the locals, hoping to find clues that could lead them to answers. The streets, usually busy in the morning, were now empty, with only a few residents passing by with suspicious and worried expressions.

"It feels strange," whispered Ethan, looking around. "The people here seem to be hiding something."

Avery nodded in agreement. "There's a real fear here. But we need to approach them carefully, or they won't talk."

"We need to get more information," said Ethan, his voice firm but cautious.

They first approached a middle-aged woman sweeping the porch of her house. The woman stopped for a moment when she saw them approaching, then continued sweeping more quickly, as if she wanted to finish up and get inside the house as soon as possible.

"Good morning," greeted Avery with a friendly smile. "We're investigating the recent events in this town. Can you help us with any information?"

The woman stopped, then shook her head without looking at them. "I don't know anything. You'd better leave."

Ethan tried a different approach. "We understand this might be difficult, but the more we know, the sooner we can help Ravenshore be safe again."

The woman looked up, and for a moment their eyes met. There was something in her gaze—deep fear and awareness of something bigger than herself. However, she quickly turned away and walked into the house without saying another word.

Avery and Ethan exchanged glances. They then tried approaching several other residents, but the results were almost the same. Everyone seemed reluctant to talk, and some even pretended not to hear their questions.

After several attempts, they finally found an old man sitting alone on a bench in a small park in the town center. The man looked shabby, wearing a thick jacket even though the weather wasn't that cold. He watched Avery and Ethan from afar, as if waiting for them to approach.

"He seems like he wants to talk," whispered Ethan.

Avery nodded, and they both walked towards the old man. When they arrived, the man puffed on his cigarette and looked at them with eyes filled with life experience and suffering.

"You're looking for something, aren't you?" he asked in a hoarse but authoritative voice. The man looked old, perhaps over 70, but there was strength in his speech that made Avery and Ethan feel the need to listen.

"We want to know what's really happening in this town," answered Avery seriously. "Many people are unwilling to talk, but we think you might know something."

The old man chuckled, a laugh devoid of any joy. "Of course they don't want to talk. Ravenshore is not the same place anymore, not since the curse came."

Ethan frowned. "Curse? What do you mean?"

The old man sighed deeply and extinguished his cigarette. "This town used to be a peaceful place. But something changed. No one knows what started it, but the first death happened decades ago. Since then, every year, someone dies in an unnatural way. People started believing there's a curse haunting this place. Something that brings death and fear."

"Do you know what caused all this?" asked Avery, curious.

The old man shook his head slowly. "No one knows for sure. Some say it's a past sin come back to haunt us. Others believe it's the result of something darker, something that should never have been touched by humans."

Ethan tried to dig deeper. "Is there someone who can give us more clues? Maybe someone who knows more about this curse?"

The old man was silent for a moment, then looked at them with eyes full of warning. "There are people who know more, but they're either gone… or they've chosen not to speak anymore. If you're wise, you'll leave here before it's too late."

Before Avery and Ethan could ask further, the old man struggled to get up from the bench and walked away, leaving them with more questions than answers.

"Something is very wrong here," murmured Avery after the old man disappeared from sight. "But we don't have enough evidence to fully understand what's going on." He sighed harshly.

"We need more information," replied Ethan. "But clearly, whoever knows something is afraid to speak."

After meeting with the old man, Avery and Ethan continued to walk through the streets of Ravenshore. They entered several shops and cafes, hoping to find residents more willing to talk. But everywhere they went, they encountered the same obstacles—residents who were reluctant, scared, or pretending not to know.

They finally stopped at a small, cozy cafe on a street corner. A few customers sat inside, but the atmosphere felt tense, as if everyone there was cautious about everything they did or said. The cafe owner, a young woman with long brown hair, greeted them with a polite smile.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice slightly trembling.

Avery and Ethan ordered coffee, and after receiving their drinks, they sat at one of the tables near the window. They watched the other customers in the cafe, trying to catch conversations or expressions that might provide clues.

"Do you see what I see?" whispered Avery, his eyes fixed on a group of people sitting in the corner of the room. They seemed to be speaking quietly, almost whispering, and occasionally glancing at Avery and Ethan with wary expressions.

"They clearly know something," answered Ethan. "But they don't want us to find out." He added.

Avery approached their table cautiously. "Good morning, we're detectives investigating the strange events in this town. Perhaps you can help us?"

The people exchanged glances, and a middle-aged man with gray hair stood up. "Sorry, we can't help you," he said firmly, before quickly walking out of the cafe, followed by the others.

Ethan approached Avery. "They're really scared. This is more than just ordinary fear."

Avery looked outside, pondering what could make the people of Ravenshore so terrified. Not long after, an old woman sitting near the door suddenly approached.

She spoke in a low voice, almost inaudible. "If you want to know more, come to my house later tonight. I can't talk outside of these hours."

Avery and Ethan were surprised, but before they could ask more, the woman had already left the cafe in a hurry.

"Maybe this is the lead we've been waiting for," said Ethan.

"Yes, but we have to be careful. Whoever is behind this is clearly making the townspeople live in fear. Tonight, we'll meet the woman, and maybe we can uncover a little more about the mystery of Ravenshore," replied Avery.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

The sky over Ravenshore had turned dark. After sunset, and as the town grew quieter, Avery and Ethan followed the instructions of the old woman they had met at the cafe earlier. They walked through several dimly lit alleys until they finally arrived at an old house on the outskirts of town. The house looked abandoned.

Avery and Ethan stood in front of the old house, staring at the worn facade with an uneasy feeling. Although they were used to grim scenes in their work as detectives, there was something different about this house. The cold aura surrounding it almost felt real, as if the building itself held dark secrets that didn't want to be revealed.

"Do you feel that?" whispered Avery, his eyes fixed on the dark window.

Ethan nodded slowly. "Yes, there's something strange. We should be cautious."

They stepped onto the porch, the old wood creaking under their feet with each step. The large, heavy front door stood before them, tightly shut. Hesitantly, Avery knocked on the door three times. The sound echoed inside the quiet house, but there was no answer.

"We might be early," muttered Ethan, but there was a tone of doubt in his voice.

They waited for a while, and when Avery was about to knock again, the door opened by itself. Behind the door, the old woman they had met at the cafe stood in the shadows, her face looking more pale and weary under the dim light from inside the house.

"Come in," she said in a hoarse voice, then turned and walked inside.

Avery and Ethan exchanged glances before finally following the woman inside. As soon as they stepped in, the smell of dampness and dust filled the air, making the atmosphere inside the house feel even more oppressive. The old woman led them to a simple living room, where antique furniture stood stiffly in the shadows.

"Please, have a seat," she said, pointing to an old sofa that looked worn out.

They sat down, while the old woman took a seat in a rocking chair across from them. The dim lamp in the room cast strange shadows on the walls, adding to the mysterious aura surrounding the house.

"Thank you for coming," said the old woman in a weary tone. "You must understand, what's happening in this town cannot be explained with ordinary logic."

"What is really happening here?" asked Avery, getting straight to the point.

The old woman was silent for a moment, as if deciding whether she should share what she knew. Finally, she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"Ravenshore used to be a peaceful place, but everything changed when a group of outsiders came here years ago. They brought with them knowledge that should never be known by humans. They conducted experiments, trying to contact something from another world."

Avery and Ethan exchanged glances, filled with both interest and anxiety.

"They succeeded," the old woman continued in an increasingly low voice, as if afraid someone was listening. "They opened a portal to a place that should never have been touched. From there, something came into our world—something that brought death and fear. They call it a curse, but it's more than that. It's a presence that haunts every corner of this town."

Ethan leaned back in his chair, trying to process what he had just heard. "Is this curse responsible for those strange deaths?"

The old woman nodded slowly. "Yes. The curse spreads, taking the lives of innocent people. But it's not just physical death. The curse absorbs their souls, leaving behind bodies that are dead but without spirits. And every year, on a certain night, that portal opens again, bringing more darkness to this town."

"What about the symbols that always appear on each victim? Do you know the meaning of those symbols?" Avery seemed increasingly interested in the information given.

The old woman seemed to think for a moment. "All I know is that these symbols are not just signs, but part of the experiments used by that group of people."

Avery felt chills down his spine. "Why don't the townspeople leave this place? Why do they stay if they know about the curse?"

The old woman gave a bitter smile. "Many have tried to leave, but no one can truly escape. The curse binds them to this town. Those who try to leave either come back in unnatural ways, or they disappear without a trace. We are trapped here, waiting for our own fate."

The room was instantly silent, only the sound of the old woman's rocking chair creaking slowly could be heard. Avery and Ethan were caught in their thoughts, trying to comprehend all the information they had just received.

"But why did you decide to talk to us?" Ethan finally asked. "What made you decide to tell us all this?"

The old woman looked at them with eyes full of despair and hope. "Because I'm old, and my time is almost up. I've seen too many people suffer and die because of this curse. If you can find a way to stop it, then you must try. I don't want the next generation to suffer like we have."

Avery felt a heavy sense of responsibility. "What can we do to stop this curse?"

The old woman clasped her hands tightly. "The only way to stop it is to close that portal. But to do that, you must go to the place where it all began. You must find the source of the curse and destroy it."

"Do you know where it all began?" asked Ethan.

The old woman shook her head. "That's all I can tell you. Maybe you can start by learning the history of this town."

Avery and Ethan looked at each other to reassure each other. "We'll do it," said Ethan with conviction, even though he knew how dangerous this mission was.

The old woman nodded weakly. "May God be with you both."