Elena tried to shake off the unease, but the town clung to her like a shadow. She hadn't planned on staying more than a night or two, just long enough to gather herself before figuring out where to go next. But as she sipped her coffee, she couldn't ignore the whispers that danced around her like moths.
Miles leaned against the counter, his hand wrapped around his own cup of coffee, eyes scanning the room like a cop on patrol. It was the same look he'd always had, that air of someone watching, waiting for something to happen. Elena couldn't decide if it was comforting or unsettling.
"You heard about the latest one?" Miles asked, breaking the silence.
Elena frowned. "The missing person?"
"Yeah. Sarah Whitfield. Went missing last week. No one's seen her since she left her job at the general store. People are already talking. It's starting again."
Elena froze. She'd heard about the disappearances before, whispered rumors she'd been too young to understand when she'd left. The town had always had a dark side—a side no one ever spoke about.
"Starting again?" Elena repeated, her voice a little tighter than she meant it to be.
"Yeah." Miles's gaze softened. "You remember the Hollow Man, right?"
Her stomach twisted. The Hollow Man. The monster from the town's twisted folklore. The one who was said to come out of the woods when the nights grew long, taking people without a trace.
"I... thought that was just a story."
Miles leaned in closer. His breath smelled faintly of mint and coffee. "You know better than anyone, Elena. Stories like that don't come out of nowhere."
She shivered, the warmth of the diner suddenly feeling distant. The whispers were louder now—coming from the shadows, from the corners of her mind.