The dawn brought no solace. Hollow remained steeped in its eerie quiet, the kind that made even birds hesitant to sing. The storm had passed, but the air was heavier than ever, as if the town itself was holding its breath.
Isaac Grimm stood at his window, watching the muted world outside. He had barely slept. His reflection in the cracked mirror was unchanged from the night before—hollow-eyed, pale, with dark veins pulsing faintly beneath his skin. His face bore the weight of a broken soul, yet his hands trembled not with fear but with the yearning of something darker.
His hand still gripped the dagger. He hadn't let it go all night, its weight a tether to the thing he was becoming. Or perhaps the thing he had already become.
---
A Visitor
The knock at his door was soft, hesitant.
Isaac turned sharply, his senses heightened in ways they hadn't been before. He could hear the faint heartbeat of whoever stood on the other side, their breath shallow and quick.