The Devil's Mistress

Chapter 5: Shadows of the Past

The fog was thicker now, curling around Lilith as she left the library behind, its heavy embrace pressing against her skin. Each breath she took felt cold, damp, and suffocating, as if the town itself was conspiring to weigh her down, to keep her from thinking clearly. The encounter with the mysterious woman lingered in her mind like a dark stain—her cryptic warning, her sunken eyes, the unspoken threat hanging in the air. Not everyone in the town is what they seem.

Lilith knew she needed answers, but where could she even begin? Everything about Hollow Creek felt like a half-forgotten nightmare, the edges blurry and disjointed, but she knew one thing for certain: the town held secrets, deep and twisted, and she was right at the center of them. She had been drawn back here for a reason, and if she didn’t find out why, the pact—this curse—would consume her.

The fog swirled around her as she walked, the sound of her boots against the cobblestone streets muffled. The streets of Hollow Creek were eerily empty, the town silent except for the occasional creak of wood or the distant cry of an animal hidden somewhere in the mist. The pale glow from the streetlights did little to penetrate the gloom, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch and twist in ways that defied logic.

She pulled her coat tighter, her mind racing with questions she had no answers to. Her mother had always been evasive about their family’s history, dropping hints and warnings without ever explaining the full truth. Lilith had always assumed it was superstition, nothing more than old wives' tales, but now she knew better. The mark on her door, the black envelope, the invitation—this was no coincidence. Her return to Hollow Creek had triggered something, a chain of events set in motion long before she was even born.

The Carvers had made a pact, a dangerous, ancient deal, and now it was time for the debt to be paid. But why her? Why now?

She had no idea who the woman in the library was or how she knew so much about the pact. Her words had been both a warning and a threat, and the way she had vanished into the shadows, as if she was part of them, sent a shiver down Lilith’s spine. The longer she stayed in Hollow Creek, the more it felt like the town itself was alive, watching her, pulling her deeper into its web.

Lilith had the urge to run, to leave Hollow Creek far behind and never look back. But the woman’s words echoed in her mind: The pact will follow you wherever you go.

There was no escaping it.

The fog seemed to thicken as she made her way through the maze of streets, her path leading her toward the outskirts of town. She didn’t dare return to the Carver mansion, not yet. The mark at her door had been a warning, a message that someone—or something—was waiting for her there. She wasn’t ready to confront whatever darkness was lurking inside her childhood home. Not without more answers.

There was only one person in Hollow Creek who might have those answers.

Margaret Thorne.

Lilith had heard her name whispered in hushed tones ever since she was a child. Margaret was a recluse, a woman who had lived on the outskirts of town for as long as anyone could remember. Some said she was a witch, others claimed she was mad, but Lilith’s mother had once sought her advice, slipping away under the cover of darkness when the family’s troubles grew too heavy to bear. Margaret had been a confidante, of sorts, but Lilith had never met her. Until now, she had no reason to.

But if there was anyone who knew the truth about Hollow Creek’s past, about the pact that had bound the Carver family to this cursed town, it was Margaret Thorne.

The streets gave way to narrow dirt paths as Lilith ventured farther from the heart of Hollow Creek. The fog thickened, turning the trees that lined the path into shadowy giants, their limbs twisting together overhead like skeletal fingers. The deeper she went, the quieter it became, until the only sound was the crunch of gravel beneath her feet. It was as though she had stepped out of time, into a place forgotten by the rest of the world.