Chapter 1 Shadows at Dusk

The town of Silver Hollow was known for quiet streets and timeless charm. Nestled in the embrace of rolling hills and dense woods, it felt like a place untouched by time. For me, it was supposed to be a haven for a new beginning far from the noise and chaos of city life. I had moved to Silver Hollow right before the disappearance of my family. As the sun dipped below the horizon, clothed in a color of amber and violet, the atmosphere at Silver Hollow felt anything but peaceful.

The large oak tree at the edge of the woods was a silhouette with twisted branches against the fading light. It was toward this that I felt some kind of unexplainable pull, as if the tree itself was calling out to me. As I approached the tree, the air grew colder, carrying the earthy scent of leaves and damp soil left behind by the rain. It felt familiar, like I had smelled it before.

It was then that I saw the carving, the symbol deeply marked in the bark of the tree, worn out but unmistakably intentional. It looked ancient, with swirling lines seemingly replicating the form of a crescent moon cradling an eye. I traced the grooves with shaking fingers; a strange heat came off the wood beneath my touch and I backed off a bit, taking a few steps.

"Strange," I said to myself, looking around to see if anybody was within earshot. Then I moved forward to touch the tree again. Studying the marks.

The tree was saved for the rustling of leaves in the evening breeze. Still, there was that weight in the air, an almost palpable presence, which ran a shiver down my spine. I took a step backward from the tree, my heart beating a little faster.

A flicker of movement caught my eye, a shadow darting just beyond the tree line. I froze, straining my eyes to see through the thickening gloom. "Hello?" My voice sounded small, swallowed by the immensity of the forest. The shadow vanished immediately after.

The response gotten was but a murmur of wind through the rustling leaves and branches. Bracing themselves, I made a cautious step to the area the shadow had vanished to. The shrubs crackled under my boots; the noise sounded loudly against the silence.

Nothing.

It wasn't until I turned back toward the oak tree that I noticed it, the faintest trace of a whisper, almost undetectable, carried on by the wind. I couldn't make out the words, but the sound sent a chill down my spine. It was as if the forest itself was speaking, warning me, maybe inviting me deeper.

"I must be imagining things," I said aloud, my voice trembling. But even while speaking, the feeling of being watched kept going.

The sky had darkened a lot by then, and I knew it was time to leave. I headed back inland towards the town, but it seemed like the oak tree was watching me, its gnarled branches reaching up to the sky with its skeletal fingers.

By the time I reached the cobblestone streets of Silver Hollow, the streetlamps only nominally managed to push the dark chill off me. I looked back at the woods one last time. Far off, the silhouette of the oak tree stood dark against the pale light of the rising moon.

And for a moment, I could've sworn that I saw it again, the shadow, hanging around the edge of the tree line, but it had vanished by the time I blinked. "What the ......" I hastened my footsteps, winning the sight of my house up ahead, at the edge of town. The house my family disappeared.

I stepped inside my cozy house, which was once filled with love, locking the door behind me. I couldn't help but feel that whatever I had stumbled upon in the woods wasn't finished with me yet.

And neither, it seemed, was the night.

It had been two years since the night my family disappeared. The house at the edge of Silver Hollow had once been filled with warmth and laughter even since we moved out of the city. My mother loved to hum while she worked in the garden, her hands always filled with dirt. My father on the other hand, though often busy with work since he decided to work from home, still had time to spend with the family. And my younger sibling, Lucas. Well, Lucas had a knack for mischief, he was always sneaking cookies or hiding so he could jump out and scare me when he got the chance to.

Life had been predictable and simple, until the night everything changed.

It started with the lights flickering. We sat at the dining table, eating dinner. The sudden dimming of the light made us pause. My father laughed it off, saying it was probably just the old wiring, but the flickering grew worse until the house was plunged into darkness.

I'll check the fuse box." My father said, he grabbed a flashlight and headed toward the basement while my mother followed, Lucas stayed with me, he had his hand gripped around mine in the dark.

Minutes passed, the hours. The silence grew oppressive, broken by the occasional creak of the house settling. "Mom? Dad?" My voice echoed as I tried calling out for my parents, but it was unanswered. I finally worked up the courage to go to the basement. I grabbed a flashlight and held my little brother by the hand. "You have to stay here, in case they return, I'll be back soon." He nodded and stayed still as I went down to the basement.

But my parents weren't there.

The flashlight they had lay on the floor, its beam casting a feeble glow on the concrete. There was no sign of struggle, just a strange lingering of damp earth and something metallic, like iron.

"Mom? Dad?" My voice cracked as I called out again. I searched everywhere in the basement, but I couldn't find them. And that was when I heard Lucas scream so loud upstairs. I ran up the stairs as fast as I could but by the time I got there, he was gone too. I searched the whole house for them, but it was as if they had simply vanished. No footprints, no open doors or windows... Nothing.