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Chapter 12-Back to the plague year
The laudanum Dr. Morrison gave him made everything soft around the edges, but Mateo fought to stay conscious. He needed to understand. Needed to figure out what the hell was happening.Through the fog of medication, he heard them talking—Constance and the doctor, their voices low and worried."...third case this week...""...spreading faster than we thought...""...if it reaches the children..."Plague. The plague that would devastate Ashwick Hollow. The plague that would drive Constance into the woods, desperate enough to make a deal with something ancient and hungry.The little girl—Constance's daughter—sat in the corner, watching him. She hadn't blinked once in the ten minutes he'd been awake. Just stared with those eyes that belonged to something wearing a child's face.When Dr. Morrison finally left, Constance returned to Mateo's bedside. Up close, he could see the exhaustion etched into her face. The fear hiding behind her kind smile."You should rest, Mr. Cross. You've lost qu
Chapter 11- The Descent
Darkness swallowed everything around him. Mateo reached out for Eloise, but his hand found only emptiness. A piercing cold crept in—more than just temperature; it was a deep, oppressive absence. The warmth, the life—that all seemed to vanish.“Eloise?” His voice sounded muffled, as if he were speaking underwater.No answer.Then, suddenly, the floor beneath him gave way.But he didn’t exactly fall. It was more like reality itself unraveled, ripping him from one place and depositing him somewhere else. The sensation was reversed drowning—being pulled upward through layers of consciousness until he hit something solid, unyielding.He gasped, lungs on fire, vision spinning. He was on his hands and knees on cold tile, the smell hitting him instantly: a sickly mix of antiseptic and decay, the unmistakable stench of a hospital long abandoned.He forced himself to stand, trembling from shock and pain. His head throbbed where it had struck the floor.The surroundings gradually came into foc
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
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
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
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
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