Whispers of the Lost

Chapter 9 : Into the Shadows

The next day, the tension in the house was nearly suffocating. Grandma didn’t say much, but her eyes followed me as I moved around, like she was afraid I’d disappear if she looked away for too long. The shadows that lurked in every corner felt closer, thicker. Even Cody seemed unnerved, sticking by my side more than usual.

I knew I couldn’t sit around and wait for the past to catch up with me. I needed to know more, and that meant going back to where this all began: the library in the woods.

By the time I made it to the forest’s edge, the late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the ground. Cody trotted beside me, his ears pricked up and his eyes wary. He was tense, like he could sense the same unease that I felt in my bones. As we pushed deeper into the woods, I tried to shake off the fear that gnawed at me.

Finally, the library appeared, almost as if it had materialized out of nowhere. The old stone building seemed to blend into the forest, its ivy-covered walls and mossy steps making it look like it had grown there. It was silent and still, but I felt the same pull that had drawn me there the first time, a sense of being on the edge of something monumental.
I took a steadying breath, tightened my grip on Cody’s leash, and stepped inside.
The library was dim, the light from the high windows casting dusty beams across the wooden floors. The maze of bookshelves seemed endless, stretching into the shadows. My footsteps echoed softly, and Cody stayed close, his body pressed against my leg.

I pulled out the letter from my pocket—the one I had received with the strange coded message. The symbol from the back of the note haunted me: the broken ring. I needed to find out what it meant, and I hoped that this library, with its ancient, forgotten books, might hold the key.

Moving between the shelves, I kept my flashlight trained on the spines of the books. Many were so old that the titles had faded away, leaving only the rough texture of leather covers and peeling gold lettering. But then I noticed something: a book sticking out at an odd angle, almost like it was waiting to be pulled.

I hesitated, my fingers hovering over the spine. Cody let out a soft whine, his tail tucked low. With a deep breath, I pulled the book out.

It was heavy, bound in dark leather with strange symbols embossed on the cover. One of the symbols was the same broken ring from the letter. My heart sped up as I carefully opened the book, the old paper rustling like dry leaves.
Inside, I found pages filled with handwritten notes and sketches. There were maps of the woods, drawings of the Hollow, and descriptions of shadows with eyes that glowed in the dark. One passage caught my attention, written in a tight, hurried script:

"The Hollow is a place where memories are trapped, where the forgotten dwell. Beware the shadows, for they crave the light of those who still remember. The symbols hold power—use them wisely."

I ran my finger over the words, my mind racing. The forgotten... Were they the people taken by the shadows? Was Emma one of them?

Suddenly, a chill swept through the room, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Cody growled, his body tense, and I felt a cold breeze brush past me, rustling the pages of the book. I whipped around, shining my flashlight into the darkness, but there was nothing there.

Or at least, that’s what I thought at first.
But then I saw it—a flicker of movement, a shadow that seemed to detach itself from the wall and slither across the floor. My breath caught in my throat, and I took a step back, clutching the book to my chest.

“Cody, let’s go,” I whispered, my voice shaking.

We backed away slowly, but the shadow kept moving, sliding between the shelves like a living thing. I could feel its cold presence, and my mind screamed at me to run. But just as I was about to bolt for the door, I spotted something on the wall near the entrance—a carved wooden plaque, worn with age.

It was etched with the same symbol: the broken ring. Beneath it, an inscription read: “Remember the light, for the shadows cannot thrive where the truth is revealed.”

The light. My flashlight was the only source of light I had, and the words seemed to imply that it could keep the shadows at bay. Without thinking, I swung the beam of light toward the moving shadow, and it recoiled, slithering away into the darkness with a hiss.

My heart pounded as I stumbled backward, dragging Cody with me. We burst out of the library and into the woods, the door slamming shut behind us. The sun was setting, but out here in the open, the shadows didn’t feel as suffocating. I took a few shaky breaths, my hands trembling.

Cody leaned against me, his warm body a comfort against the chill that had settled in my bones. The book was still clutched in my arms, and I knew I had found something important. The answers were starting to come together, but so were the dangers.

The shadows were real, and they were hunting for something—or someone. And if Emma had been taken by them, I had to find her before they decided to take me too.

As we hurried back through the woods, the sky turning a bruised shade of purple.

I made a promise to myself: I wouldn’t let the shadows win. I had to keep searching, to keep fighting, no matter what it cost me.