The next morning, the sun barely cut through the thick mist that clung to the streets of the small town. Robert stepped outside with William, hoping a walk might ease the tension between them. William stayed silent, staring at the cracked sidewalks as if the ghosts of the past were etched there.
"Try to keep up, Will," Robert said gently, but the words barely reached his son.
As they turned the corner near the edge of town, Robert noticed a small crowd gathered outside the general store. The murmur of voices was low, uneasy. A poster fluttered on the bulletin board—a teenager's face stared out at him, eyes wide, a name scrawled beneath: Emily Harper, missing.
Robert felt a cold spike of unease. Missing? Already?
"Dad…who's that?" William asked quietly, clutching Robert's sleeve.
"I…don't know," Robert admitted. "But let's find out."
They edged closer, blending into the whispering crowd. People were shaking their heads, murmuring theories. "She just wandered off," one woman said. "Probably ran away, that's all."
But something about the hurried, uneasy way the townsfolk spoke set Robert's instincts on edge. He scanned the streets, the alleys, the surrounding woods. He remembered this town. He remembered its secrets. And now, years later, it seemed as if the town itself was trying to warn him.
William tugged at his sleeve again, his voice sharp. "Why is everyone acting like it's nothing? She's missing!"
Robert knelt beside him, lowering his voice. "Some people…don't like to admit there's danger in their town. But we'll find out what really happened."
Even as he spoke, a shadow moved in the distance near the lake. Just a flicker, too quick to be certain. But it was enough to make Robert's gut twist. Something was there. Something waiting.
And for the first time since returning, Robert realized: the small town he thought he knew had changed—or maybe it had been hiding its darkness all along.
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Robert's thoughts were still tangled with Emily Harper's missing poster when he heard hurried footsteps pounding the cracked sidewalk behind him.
"Robert! Robert!" Tom's voice was sharp, frantic. He came into view, his face pale, eyes wide. "It's Ethan…he's gone. He didn't come home this morning."
Robert felt his chest tighten. "Gone? What do you mean gone?"
Tom ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "He…he left for school and never made it. We've searched the streets, the parks—nothing. I don't understand. He's careful…he wouldn't just wander off!"
Robert's mind snapped into focus, the unease from Emily Harper's poster colliding with Tom's panic. "Calm down. Tell me everything. Where was he last seen?"
Tom swallowed hard. "Right outside the school gate… and he's the fifth kid to go missing in the last five months. Five, Robert. Nobody's found a trace. And the townsfolk…they're scared. Terrified. But they don't talk about it."
William's grip on Robert's sleeve tightened. "Dad…what's happening here?"
Robert knelt beside him, forcing calm into his voice. "Something's very wrong, Will. And right now, your friend Ethan is part of it. We're going to find him. We have to."
Tom's voice shook. "I don't know what to do. The sheriff…he's doing what he can, but…" His eyes darted toward the misty lake at the edge of town. "…this isn't normal. It's like…like someone—or something—is picking them off."
Robert's stomach churned. The quiet streets, the familiar houses, the whispers in the town—it all pressed in on him. This wasn't the peaceful homecoming he'd imagined.
He glanced at William. The boy's face was pale, jaw tight, eyes filled with fear—and blame. Robert knew he had to protect his son, but now he also had a new responsibility: to unravel whatever darkness was creeping through their town before it claimed another child.
The mist seemed thicker now, curling around the streetlights, hiding shapes that shouldn't be there. And somewhere in its gray folds, Robert sensed a presence—watching, waiting.
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Robert took a deep breath, forcing himself to focus. Panic wouldn't help. Not now.
"Tom, we need to go to the school, check the route he takes, ask the neighbors," Robert said, his voice firm. "We start now."
Tom nodded, still pale but grateful for Robert's decisiveness. "I'll get my car. Let's—"
William stayed close to his father, silent, jaw tight, arms crossed. His grief and lingering anger at his father's absence hung between them like a shadow. Robert sensed it, but there was no time to address it—not yet.
The walk to the school was tense, the town unusually silent. Even the birds seemed still, and the air carried a chill that had nothing to do with the season.
At the school gates, Robert and Tom spoke with the janitor, a nervous man who wrung his cap in his hands. "Ethan…he was just here this morning. I saw him…then…gone. Like he vanished."
"Vanished?" Robert echoed, the word tasting bitter on his tongue. He looked at the street, the alleys, the nearby woods. Something was wrong. Very wrong.
Tom whispered, voice trembling. "Robert…he's the fifth. Five kids in five months. Nobody knows why. Nobody knows where. The sheriff…he's trying, but…" He swallowed hard. "…he's scared too."
Robert's jaw tightened. Fear prickled along his spine—but it fueled him. He would find Ethan. He would uncover the truth behind these disappearances. And he would face whatever darkness had crept into this town, no matter the cost.
William lagged slightly behind, silent, his expression a mix of fear and resentment. Robert could feel the weight of it, but he had no time to explain or defend himself. Not now.
As the mist thickened around the streets, Robert felt the town watching him, waiting for him to stumble. But he wouldn't. Not yet