Chapter Two: A Town That Shouldn't Exist

The road stretched endlessly before him, dissolving into mist at the edges. Leon Blackwell drove in silence, his hands resting lightly on the wheel, though he did not need them. The car responded to his will, every machine always did.

The deeper he went, the quieter the world became. No cars passed him. No streetlights flickered in the distance. Even the trees lining the roadside felt… still. As if they were watching.

Then, the first sign appeared.

Welcome to Blackwood Hollow.

A town that should not exist.

Leon had studied every inch of the map before coming here. It was an unremarkable place, a speck on the edge of forgotten land. And yet, something about it had drawn his attention—something beyond the inconvenience of a stubborn landowner.

There were no records of Blackwood Hollow before a certain year. No official founding date. No mentions in history books. The town simply… was.

He passed through the main street, lined with antique shops and old-world storefronts, the kind that shouldn't survive in a world of franchises and endless consumerism. Yet, they did.

People moved through the town in slow, careful strides, as if stepping through something fragile. Their eyes flickered toward his car, then away just as quickly, as though they did not wish to be caught looking.

Leon smiled faintly.

They knew.

Not what he was, not exactly. But they sensed something. Humans always did, in the old places.

And this town—this town was very old.

He finally came to a stop at the edge of a field. The land stretched wide and dark, a rolling expanse of earth that smelled of rain and something older. At the center of it, standing with her back to him, was Elena Carter.

She had not turned. Had not acknowledged the car's arrival.

Yet, he knew that she knew he was here.

Leon stepped out, his movements silent. The air was thick, heavy with the weight of something unseen. He took a slow step forward, the ground beneath his foot softer than it should have been, as if the land itself did not wish to bear his weight.

Then, finally, she spoke.

"You shouldn't have come."

Her voice did not waver. It carried through the air, steady and certain, like a warning carved into stone.

Leon tilted his head slightly, considering her. "And yet, here I am."

She turned then, at last, and the first thing he noticed was her eyes.

They did not hold fear.

And that…

That was interesting.