The First Entry

I woke up.

What just happened? Was I dreaming? No… I couldn't have been. The diary is still here.

Last night—what was that? Was it just my imagination? Or is it the insomnia… the exhaustion… maybe even the weight of everything pressing down on me? Am I starting to see things that aren't real?

I picked up the diary and got out of bed, leaving my room.

"Hannah..." I moved toward the stairs and started going down. "Hey! Look what I got for you."

No response. I took a few more steps forward.

Suddenly, Hannah hugged me from behind, making me flinch for a second before I relaxed and smiled. Even though we had started talking less after Mom… she was still my sister. That bond never faded.

She had been asking me for a book for so long, and I finally bought it yesterday. I had planned to give it to her right away, but she had gone to bed early. I didn't want to disturb her.

"What is it, Ethan?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the gift box in my hand.

"Go, take it to your room and open it there. I'm coming in a minute, okay?"

She nodded excitedly, took the box, and ran off.

I returned to my room and sat on my bed. My hands trembled as I flipped through the pages of the diary until I reached "The First Entry."

20th June 2000,

Dear Diary,

This town is cursed. It's far worse than I thought—four more disappearances this time. Some say it's the work of a serial killer, but the bodies have never been found. Everyone is struggling. Everyone is scared. No one plays outside anymore. The streets are empty—abandoned. The only people I see are always in pairs or groups, never alone.

The sheriff is losing control. People are turning against him. No one is allowed outside after dark. The future of this town… it doesn't look good. We have to do something, or this curse will spread beyond Holloway.

I've tried investigating. I've spoken to people, but no one knows what's really happening. Emily Harper, the town's historian, believes this isn't a case of serial murder. She says this happened before—56 years ago.

She claims a dark figure roams the town. No one sees him unless he wants to be seen. He needs a body. He controls whoever he chooses. He wants something… violated. But to carry out his gruesome acts, he needs a host.

56 years ago, he took over a man named James.

James fought the curse. He tried to resist—but he failed. The curse killed him. The police dismissed it as an ordinary murder, ignoring the truth.

Your Owner,

Detective…

I stopped reading, my eyes glued to the page.

Emily Harper.

The librarian.

Was she really just a historian, or was she connected to this diary? Could she be the one to free me from this curse? James was completely controlled by it, but I—I was still free.

For now.

I gripped the diary tightly and rushed downstairs.

"Ethan, you said you were coming in a minute, so I didn't open the gift," Hannah called from her room.

"Sorry, Hannah, but this is an emergency. Just open it without me, I'll catch up later!"

I tied my shoelaces and left my house.

I ran.

The cold air bit at my skin as I sprinted toward the library. I wasn't thinking—I just knew I had to get there. Fast.

Suddenly, I collided with someone and stumbled back, nearly falling.

"Sorry, sorry! It's an emergency!" I blurted out, looking up—

But there was no one there.

I spun around. The street was empty. Not a single soul in sight.

A chill ran down my spine. Did I imagine that?

I shook my head, forcing myself to move. I didn't have time for this. I ran the rest of the way, my heart pounding, until I finally reached the library.

She was standing right there.

Emily Harper.

She stood beside the first bookshelf, flipping through the pages of an old, dusty book.

"Mrs. Harper," I called out.

She turned. Our eyes met.

Her face went pale.

Her body stiffened as if she had just seen something terrible. Her hands… they were shaking.

"You shouldn't be here, Ethan," she whispered.

I stopped in my tracks. "You… knew I was coming?"

Emily's eyes flickered down—to the diary in my hands.

"I knew," she murmured. "I always knew. The curse would repeat. I knew it hadn't ended three years ago… and that someone would find that diary again. But I wished—I truly wished—it wouldn't be you."

Something inside me twisted. "You wished it wasn't me? Why me? You knew the curse would find someone, didn't you? You could have stopped it! You could have saved me!"

Emily's eyes darted around the empty library. Her lips tightened.

"Lower your voice."

Her tone was sharp—urgent.

"There are things listening," she whispered. "Even if no one is here, they are. The invisible figures… the creatures… they hear you when you're loud. So lower your voice."

I clenched my fists. "I don't care anymore," I muttered. "I don't care about any of that now. You want me to lower my voice? Why should I? I'm already dead, Emily. I'm going to die soon. So what does it matter?"

Her expression darkened. "Who said you were going to d—"

"James died." My voice cracked. "Did he survive? Did he? You know this is real. You knew about it before I did. And your name—your name is in the diary."

I stopped.

Emily wasn't blinking. Her body was stiff. Something shifted in her eyes.

Fear.

Real, raw fear.

And then she whispered, "I'm in the diary?"

Her voice barely came out. It wasn't shock—it was horror.

"It means I never escaped," she breathed. "It means I never could. And never did."

A pause.

Then—"You want the truth, Ethan?"

Her lips trembled.

"It's not too late for you. You can still escape the curse. Because the curse—this game—hasn't started yet. And you can always leave a game… before it begins."