THE CURSED TOWN

The hollows heart

The darkness of the forest seemed to pull at Sophie as she ventured deeper into the woods, each step heavier than the last. The air was thick with the smell of wet earth, the leaves crunching underfoot, but beneath that, there was something else. A distant hum, a vibration in the ground, like the pulse of the earth itself. Sophie shuddered, pulling her jacket tighter around her shoulders, but the cold seemed to seep into her bones.

Elliot walked beside her, his face set in a grim expression, eyes scanning the woods as though he were waiting for something to jump out from behind the trees. He’d been quiet since they left the cemetery, but Sophie could feel the tension rolling off him, the weight of what they were about to face settling on his shoulders like a heavy cloak. She had no illusions that they were about to embark on a simple search for answers. The curse had its claws in this town, and every step they took closer to the truth would only make it more dangerous.

“I don’t like this place,” Sophie said, breaking the silence. “There’s something wrong about these woods. It feels… alive.”

Elliot’s lips twitched, almost imperceptibly, as though he were holding back a response. “The woods have been here longer than the town. Longer than the curse, maybe. Some say they were here before the founders. And the things that are older than everything else… they don’t forget.”

The woods seemed to close in around them as they walked. The trees were tall and gnarled, their roots twisting out of the ground like skeletal hands reaching for the sky. The canopy above was dense, blocking out most of the daylight, leaving the forest floor in an eerie half-light. As they moved further into the depths of the woods, the air grew colder, the stillness oppressive.

“I know you’re worried,” Sophie said after a long pause. “But we have to keep moving. I can feel it—there’s something out there. Something that can end this.”

Elliot didn’t answer immediately, but Sophie could tell that her words had struck a chord. He’d been trying to warn her about the dangers of the curse, of what it could do to them, but she wasn’t willing to turn back. Not yet. Not until she had answers about her brother, about Nathan. The pieces were all coming together, but they still didn’t have the full picture. She needed to know where this curse had come from, who had set it in motion, and most importantly, how to stop it before it claimed anyone else.

“There’s a place,” Elliot said, his voice suddenly distant. “In the heart of the woods. It’s where the founders performed their rituals. It’s where they made the pact. If there’s anything left of the original curse, it will be there.”

Sophie’s pulse quickened. “Is it far?”

“No,” he replied. “But it’s not easy to find. The forest… it doesn’t want anyone to see it. Those who have tried to find it before… they didn’t come back.”

Sophie’s stomach twisted with unease, but she didn’t back down. “I’m not afraid.”

Elliot didn’t look at her, but Sophie could feel his gaze on the back of her neck, studying her. “You should be.”

They walked in silence for a while, the only sounds the crunch of leaves underfoot and the distant calls of unseen animals. The deeper they went, the more oppressive the atmosphere became, the woods feeling almost suffocating in their silence. Sophie couldn’t shake the feeling that they weren’t alone, that the trees were watching them, listening.

Finally, they reached a clearing. It wasn’t much of a clearing, more like a small gap between the trees, but it was enough for Sophie to feel a shift in the air. The temperature had dropped even further, and the ground beneath her feet felt softer, almost like it was pulsing.

“This is it,” Elliot said quietly.

Sophie looked around. There was nothing remarkable about the clearing at first glance. The trees formed a dense ring around it, their branches hanging low, but as Sophie’s eyes adjusted to the dim light, she saw the shape in the center.

It was a stone altar, ancient and worn by the elements, covered in moss and vines. The stone was etched with symbols, ones that Sophie had seen before in the Book of the Pact. The same interlocking circles. The same crescent moon.

“Is this where they did it?” Sophie asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Elliot nodded slowly, his eyes dark with unspoken memories. “This is where they made the pact. The altar… it’s where the first sacrifice was given. The blood they spilled sealed the curse.”

Sophie felt a chill run down her spine. She stepped closer to the altar, her heart racing as she examined the symbols. They were more intricate than the ones in the book, more detailed, as though they had been carved with purpose—each line, each curve, an integral part of the ritual. The air seemed to hum around her, the ground vibrating beneath her feet.

“I don’t understand,” Sophie said, turning to Elliot. “Why here? Why this place?”

Elliot hesitated, then stepped forward, standing next to her. “The founders believed that the pact would keep the town safe. They made it with something older than time itself. They called it the Hollow God. A being that lived in the woods. The curse isn’t just on the town—it’s tied to this place. The Hollow God’s power is bound to the land. And every time someone is marked, the curse grows stronger.”

Sophie frowned, trying to wrap her mind around the implications of what Elliot was saying. “So it’s the Hollow God that controls everything? That… feeds off the souls of the children?”

Elliot nodded grimly. “Yes. The curse wasn’t just about protecting the town—it was about feeding the Hollow God. It demands sacrifices to stay dormant. The founders thought they could control it, use it for their own gain. But they didn’t understand what they were dealing with. They didn’t realize that the god doesn’t care about them. It doesn’t care about anyone. It only cares about feeding.”

Sophie shuddered. The weight of everything that had happened in Cedar Hollow hit her all at once. The lives taken. The years of suffering. The people who had been born into this curse without even knowing it.

She closed her eyes for a moment, steadying her breath. “We have to stop it. We have to stop it before it takes anyone else.”

Elliot was silent for a long time, staring at the altar. When he spoke again, his voice was tinged with something darker, something that Sophie hadn’t heard before. “You don’t understand what you’re asking. You can’t just stop the curse. You can’t stop the Hollow God. No one ever has.”

Sophie opened her eyes and faced him, determination in her gaze. “Then I’ll be the first. We have to try.”

Elliot shook his head slowly, as though she were speaking nonsense. “The god is too powerful, Sophie. It doesn’t just take—it controls. It’s been feeding on this town for centuries. If you try to destroy it, you’ll be consumed.”

Sophie’s stomach twisted, but her resolve didn’t waver. “We don’t have a choice. I’m not going to let it take Nathan. I’m not going to let it claim anyone else.”

She turned back to the altar, her heart pounding in her chest. She could feel the presence of the god, the weight of its power pressing down on her, and though the air was cold, the ground beneath her feet burned with an ancient energy. This was it. This was the source. This was where it all began. And Sophie wasn’t leaving without a way to end it.

“We have to perform the ritual,” Sophie said, her voice low but firm. “We have to break the curse.”

Elliot’s eyes widened slightly, and for the first time, Sophie saw fear flicker in his gaze. “No. You don’t know what you’re asking.”

“I know exactly what I’m asking,” she said, turning to him. “We can stop this. But we need to act now.”

Elliot stared at her for a long time, the forest around them eerily silent. Finally, he spoke, his voice thick with regret. “If you’re determined, then we have no choice. But know this: once you step into the Hollow’s heart, there’s no turning back. You’re not just fighting the curse. You’re fighting the god itself.”

Sophie’s heart pounded in her chest. But she wasn’t afraid anymore. Not of the god. Not of the curse. She had come this far, and she would see it through, no matter the cost.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Sophie said, her voice unwavering. “We’ll stop it, Elliot. Together.”

And with that, she stepped forward, placing her hands on the stone altar. The energy in the air shifted, and Sophie felt the god’s presence growing stronger, felt its hunger rising to the surface. But this time, Sophie was ready. She would face it head-on, and she would break the curse that had held Cedar Hollow in its grip for centuries.