The Devil Watches
The night in Hollow was darker than any before it. Not just the absence of light but a tangible, suffocating void that clung to the air. It was as if the town itself had been swallowed whole, leaving only echoes of its former self.
Father Gabriel stood at the window of the abandoned inn where he and his missionaries had made their refuge. He could see nothing beyond the street, yet he felt eyes upon him. Watching. Waiting. The stories they had heard had led them to the edge of a nightmare, and soon, they would step into its heart.
Behind him, the missionaries sat in solemn silence. Some whispered prayers. Others sharpened knives or gripped their crucifixes with trembling hands. They had come to Hollow as servants of the Lord. Now, they were warriors in a war they barely understood.
Gabriel turned to them, his voice steady but heavy. "Tomorrow, we go to the old church."
No one spoke, but the weight of those words settled over them like a burial shroud.