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3:33
By: D.twisterOngoing
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Chapters: 10
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When his daughter Aurora drowned seven months ago, Mateo Cross felt he lost her. Now his other daughter Ivy claims that something visits her bedroom precisely at 3:33 AM. The same thing that took her sister. Mateo finds a spiral inscribed on the wall behind Ivy's bedroom and hears of Ashwick Hollow, a haunted village that offers one child as A sacrifice every seven years, he realizes Aurora did not drown by accident. She was taken. And Ivy now comes next. Mateo has to enter the Veil, a nightmare world where 48 kidnapped souls are imprisoned and an ages-old monster, in order to rescue his daughter. The starving mother longs one more. The truth is, though, the further he descends seven layers of psychological purgatory: the only means to spare them all is to give up something much worse than his life. What would you do to save your child? Would you pay it if the cost was erasing yourself from their memory forever?
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3:33 Chapter 10: The Invitation
Father Thorne moved immediately, pulling Ivy away from the glowing wall. "Don't touch it! Don't even look at it directly!"But Mateo couldn't look away. The spiral was pulsing now, each rotation revealing something behind the wood and plaster. Not darkness—something worse. A space that shouldn't exist, full of writhing shapes and distant screaming and a thousand eyes that all seemed to be looking at him."What the hell is that?" Joan backed toward the door, her face paper-white."An invitation," Father Thorne said grimly. "The Famished Mother is offering passage. She wants you, Dr. Cross. Specifically you.""Why me?" Mateo's voice sounded distant even to himself."Because you're Aurora's father. Because you carry half of her genetic code, half of her essence. The Veil recognizes you as kin." Father Thorne grabbed a jar of salt from somewhere, began pouring a line between them and the glowing spiral. "And because the Famished Mother is testing you. She wants to see if you'll do what Co
Last Updated : 2025-10-253:33 Chapter 9: The Safe House
They burst out of the church. The fog had thickened into something almost solid, pressing against them like water. Through it, Mateo could hear sounds—footsteps, many footsteps, all heading toward them. The possessed congregation, hunting."This way!" Father Thorne's voice cut through the murk. He grabbed Mateo's arm, pulling him right, then left, through narrow alleys between buildings. Eloise was right behind them, breath coming in ragged gasps."The car," Mateo panted. "Ivy—she's in the car—""I know. We're going there first." Father Thorne moved with surprising speed for a man his age, navigating the fog-shrouded streets like he'd memorized every inch. "But we can't stay there. The car won't protect her. Nothing made of metal or glass holds against the Hollow."They emerged onto Main Street. The car was still there, doors locked, windows fogged. Through the condensation, Mateo could see two shapes: Joan in the front seat, Ivy in the back.He yanked open the door. "We're leaving. N
Last Updated : 2025-10-253:33 Chapter 8: Congregation
The man in black robes smiled—the kind of smile that belonged on a predator. "Dr. Mateo Cross and Mrs. Eloise Cross. Parents of the lost Aurora. Parents of the marked Ivy. You've come a long way."Mateo's hand found Eloise's. Her fingers were ice-cold. "How do you know our names?""The Hollow knows everything that happens within its reach. And you, Dr. Cross, have been in its reach for quite some time." The man descended from the altar, his robes dragging against stone. "My name is Father Kieran Thorne. We spoke on the phone.""You said you were defrocked," Eloise said, voice shaking but defiant."I am. The church cast me out for telling the truth. For trying to save them all from their own covenant." He gestured to the congregation. Not one person had moved. Not one had even blinked. "They wouldn't listen. So I came back. Someone has to bear witness.""What's wrong with them?" Mateo looked at the frozen townspeople. "Why are they just sitting there?""They're waiting. They do this ev
Last Updated : 2025-10-253:33 Chapter 7: The Long Drive North
They left at dawn. Mateo drove while Eloise stared out the window at the highway rushing past. Ivy sat in the back with her grandmother, coloring in a workbook, her face blank and peaceful. Eloise's mother, Joan, had insisted on coming. "I'm not letting my granddaughter out of my sight," she'd said, jaw set in that way that meant arguing was pointless. She was sixty-three, gray-haired, with sharp eyes that missed nothing. "And if this town's as dangerous as you say, you'll need an extra set of hands."The GPS kept losing signal as they drove north. First it'd show the route clearly, then the screen would flicker and reset, showing them in the middle of nowhere with no roads around. Mateo had to navigate the old-fashioned way—following road signs and a printed MapQuest sheet he'd made at the hotel.The landscape changed gradually. Suburbs gave way to small towns, then farmland, then dense forests that pressed close to the road. These trees were old-growth—massive oaks and pines that
Last Updated : 2025-10-253:33 Chapter 6: The Offer
They checked into a Holiday Inn off Route 1—you know the type. Anonymous, smells like industrial carpet cleaner. Two rooms: Mateo and Eloise in one, Ivy and her grandmother in the other. Nobody slept a wink.Mateo sat on the edge of that rock-hard hotel bed, laptop screen burning his eyes. He'd been Googling "Ashwick Hollow" for two hours straight, and what he found? Sparse. Contradictory. Deeply, deeply unsettling.The town had a Wikipedia page—barely. Population: 847. Founded: 1873. Primary industries: None listed. Their official website hadn't been touched since 2019. Just a single page with a grainy church photo and the words "Welcome to Ashwick Hollow: A Quiet Place to Rest."Rest. Something about that word made his skin crawl.The deeper he dug, the weirder it got. Every few years, someone on a paranormal forum would mention Ashwick Hollow—always vague, always cutting the thread short. One post from 2016 caught his eye: Tried to visit Ashwick Hollow for a ghost hunt. Got three
Last Updated : 2025-10-253:33 Chapter 5
The Boston Police headquarters on Tremont Street looked exactly like it had seven months ago, during the initial investigation: cold fluorescent lights, beige walls, and that unmistakable smell of burnt coffee mixed with paper. Mateo stood in the lobby with Eloise beside him, Ivy wedged between them, gripping each parent's hand like she was holding on for dear life.Detective Reeves came through a security door. She was younger than Mateo had pictured—maybe late thirties, with sharp eyes and brown hair yanked back in a tight bun. Her slacks and blazer had that rumpled look that screamed too many late nights."Dr. and Mrs. Cross. Thanks for coming so quickly." Her eyes dropped to Ivy. "Is there somewhere she can wait? What I need to show you... it's probably better if she doesn't see.""My mom's on her way," Eloise said. Her voice sounded like glass about to crack. "She'll be here in twenty minutes."They sat in those awful plastic chairs while they waited. Ivy colored in a Disney act
Last Updated : 2025-10-25
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