The Crimson Creek Curse

Chapter 10: The Growing Terror

The days following the failed ritual brought a heavy, suffocating tension over Crimson Creek. It was as if the very air was thick with dread, choking anyone who dared to breathe too deeply. The once sleepy, forgotten town was now gripped by a terror that was impossible to ignore, and no one was safe. Despite Carter and Mrs. Willow's desperate attempts to banish the Crimson Entity, the evil had only grown stronger—more insidious, more violent. And it was hungry.

Carter awoke in the early hours of the morning, drenched in a cold sweat. His dreams had been plagued by the same nightmarish visions since that night in the mill—the entity's eyes, burning red, following him wherever he went. He would hear its voice, whispering in his ear, promising death and destruction. The terror in the dreams felt so real that even now, sitting upright in bed, he struggled to shake the feeling that he was being watched.

He glanced out the window. The fog was thicker than usual, wrapping the town in a veil of grey. The streets below were empty, but there was something off about the silence that hung in the air, a silence that wasn't normal. It was as though the town itself had fallen into a trance, waiting for something terrible to happen.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand, and Carter nearly jumped out of his skin. His heart raced as he picked it up. A text message.

Mrs. Willow: "It's spreading."

Carter's stomach turned. He had been hoping that after the encounter at the mill, things would calm down. That maybe, just maybe, they had done enough to weaken the entity. But Mrs. Willow's message made it clear—the terror was only beginning.

He quickly typed a response.

Carter: "What do you mean? What's happening?"

There was a long pause before she replied.

Mrs. Willow: "More deaths. People are seeing things. I think it's feeding off the fear."

Carter's blood ran cold as he read her words. The entity was growing stronger, drawing power from the town's collective fear. It wasn't enough that it had claimed Sarah Miller and haunted the mill—it was now spreading its malevolent influence like a disease, infecting the minds of the townspeople. And it was only a matter of time before more people died.

Throwing off his blankets, Carter jumped out of bed and dressed quickly. He had to see Mrs. Willow—he needed answers. If they couldn't stop the entity, the whole town would be consumed by its curse. And he wasn't about to let that happen.

The drive to Mrs. Willow's house felt like it took an eternity. The fog clung to the windshield, making it nearly impossible to see the road ahead. As Carter navigated the narrow streets, he noticed something strange—the town looked abandoned. Doors were shut, windows boarded up, and not a single person was in sight. It was as if the entire town had retreated into itself, hiding from the horrors outside.

When he finally reached Mrs. Willow's house, the unease that had been gnawing at him only intensified. Her small, old-fashioned home looked even more rundown than usual, the curtains drawn tightly shut. He hurried up the front steps and knocked on the door, the sound echoing unnervingly in the empty street.

After a few moments, the door creaked open, and Mrs. Willow stood there, her face pale and lined with exhaustion. She looked older than she had just a few days ago, as if the weight of the town's terror had physically aged her.

"Come in, quickly," she whispered, glancing nervously over her shoulder before ushering him inside.

Once they were seated in her small living room, Carter wasted no time.

"What's happening?" he asked, his voice low but urgent. "You said it's spreading—what do you mean?"

Mrs. Willow sighed heavily, rubbing her temples as though the weight of everything was pressing down on her. "There have been more deaths," she said quietly. "Two just yesterday. But it's not just the deaths. People are reporting strange things—hallucinations, nightmares, hearing voices. It's like the entity is... slipping into people's minds."