The Hollow Whisper

Chapter 10: The Unseen Eyes

The rain began as a light drizzle, tapping softly on the roofs of Hollow Creek, but within minutes, it became a torrent. The wind howled, carrying the scent of earth and decay through the air, as if the town itself was mourning what was about to happen. The streets, once empty, were now slick with water, glistening in the dim light of the streetlamps.

Inside his small, dusty office, Sheriff Parker sat in silence, the hum of the storm pressing against the windows. He hadn't left the station since sundown, an unease gnawing at him, something he couldn't quite place. It was as though the air itself had grown heavier, suffocating, filled with something ancient and malevolent.

His eyes flicked to the stack of reports on his desk, a pattern he couldn't ignore. Strange occurrences, missing animals, whispered rumors of people disappearing near the old house. He had brushed it off at first—there was always talk about that damned place—but now, in the grip of this storm, the tension felt different. Real.

The phone rang, piercing the heavy silence. Parker grabbed it instinctively.

"Sheriff's office."

"It's happening again," a voice whispered, shaking. Parker recognized it instantly—Emily Carson. He hadn't heard from her in years, but the fear in her voice told him everything.

"What do you mean, Emily?" Parker asked, his voice low, his fingers tightening around the receiver.

"The house," Emily breathed, as if saying the words out loud would make it more real. "It's awake again. Sarah's gone. And... it's spreading."

Parker leaned back in his chair, a cold chill creeping up his spine. "Where are you?"

"I'm with Jacob. We're at my place. But we can't stay here much longer. We saw her. She's not Sarah anymore, Sheriff."

Parker's heart hammered in his chest. He had known Sarah since she was a little girl. She had always been quiet, polite. The idea of something taking her, warping her—it was unthinkable. But then again, so were many things in Hollow Creek.

"Stay there. Lock your doors," Parker instructed, his voice strained. "I'm coming to you."

Across town, in the pouring rain, Sarah walked as if the storm didn't touch her. Her skin, once soft and warm, had taken on a pale, almost translucent quality. The shadows curled around her, drawn to her as if she were their queen, the void from the house now fully alive within her. The rain parted as it touched her, droplets dissolving into the air before they could reach her skin.

Her red eyes flickered, scanning the streets, though there was no one in sight. They didn't need to be. She could feel them—their thoughts, their fears, every heartbeat that pulsed through the sleeping town. Each one was like a beacon, calling out to her, inviting her to take them, to feed the void inside her.

The hunger was unbearable now.

She stopped in front of a small house, its windows dark, the faint glow of a single candle flickering in the back. There was someone inside. She could sense their fear, feel the tension in their breathing. A young woman, alone.

Sarah's lips twisted into a cruel smile as she stepped closer to the house. Her bare feet made no sound on the wet pavement, her body nothing more than a shadow slipping through the night.

Inside, the woman stirred, unaware of the danger that lurked just outside her door.

Sarah raised one hand, her fingers brushing against the wooden frame of the front door. The shadows around her surged forward, slipping through the cracks, snaking into the house. The woman inside let out a small gasp as the temperature dropped suddenly, the air becoming thick with the smell of damp earth.

Her heartbeat quickened. Sarah could hear it.

The door creaked open.

Back at Emily's house, the tension was suffocating. Jacob paced back and forth in front of the window, his eyes scanning the street outside for any sign of movement. Emily sat at the table, her hands clasped tightly together, her breath shallow.

"What are we going to do?" Emily asked, her voice barely audible. "We can't just wait here."

Jacob stopped, his jaw clenched. "We don't have a choice. The sheriff's on his way. We need to stay together. If we go out there, we'll be playing right into its hands."

Emily shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "We should never have opened that door. We should've left it alone."

Jacob moved to sit beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We didn't know, Em. None of us knew."

The guilt weighed heavily on both of them, the memory of their childhood mistakes now coming back to haunt them in ways they couldn't have imagined. They had thought the house was just a rumor, a ghost story to scare children. But it wasn't. It was real. And it had taken Sarah.

Jacob stood abruptly, his expression hard. "We have to destroy it. The house. Whatever it's using to control Sarah, it's in that place."

Emily looked at him, her eyes wide with fear. "We can't just—"

A loud crash outside cut her off. Both of them froze, their eyes darting toward the window. For a moment, there was nothing but the sound of the wind and the rain hammering against the house.

Then, a shadow passed by the window.

Emily's breath hitched, her heart racing. "She's here."

Jacob grabbed the fire poker from beside the hearth, his grip tight, his knuckles white. He moved slowly toward the door, his body tense, every muscle poised to strike.

The front door rattled, as though something was pushing against it. The handle turned slowly, a soft, almost curious motion, like a child testing whether it was locked.

"Get behind me," Jacob whispered, his voice strained.

Emily moved to the far corner of the room, her back pressed against the wall, her hands shaking. The air grew colder, the familiar, suffocating chill settling over the room.

The door creaked open an inch, then stopped.

Silence.

Jacob raised the poker, his breath shallow, his eyes fixed on the gap in the door.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, slowly, the door opened wider, revealing nothing but the darkness outside. The wind howled through the open space, rain splattering against the floor.

"Jacob..." Emily's voice trembled, barely audible.

Jacob took a step forward, peering into the night. There was no one there.

But something was watching them. He could feel it—an unseen presence, something lurking just beyond the edge of the shadows.

He took another step, his heart pounding in his chest.

And then, from the darkness, a whisper.

"You shouldn't have opened the door..."

End of Chapter 10