The rain came in waves, a relentless downpour that hammered against the rooftops and flooded the crooked alleyways. The sky was a deep, bruised gray, heavy with clouds that churned and twisted, their shapes shifting ominously above the village. The wind howled, rattling windows and wailing through the skeletal branches of the leafless trees. It was as if the heavens themselves were mourning, weeping for the lost souls bound to the curse that haunted this land.
Eleanor stood at the edge of the woods, her body drenched, her hair plastered to her face, cold rivulets of water seeping through her clothes, chilling her to the bone. She gripped her mother's journal tightly, the pages warped from the dampness, the ink smudged, twisted like smoke. Her chest was tight, her heart heavy, her breaths uneven, her eyes fixed on the dark, twisted branches that clawed at the sky, their skeletal fingers swaying in the storm.
The words echoed in her mind, hollow and cold, curling through her thoughts like shadows. "You cannot escape… the curse binds you… just as it did her…" She could still see the figure in the alley, its body twisted and elongated, its face a hollow mask, shadows curling across its skin, eyes empty, dark, watching her with cold, detached cruelty.
A shiver ran through her, cold and sharp, sinking into her bones. She had run, stumbling through the fog-drenched streets, the whispers following her, curling through the air, hollow and broken. She had fled the shadows, the twisted alleys, the prying eyes of the villagers, their whispers heavy with suspicion and fear. She had run to the only place she thought she could find answers, to the only person she thought she could trust.
Thomas.
She could see his house from here, nestled at the base of the hill, its walls sagging, the wood warped and splintered, the roof bowed under the weight of years. The windows were dark, hollow, watching her with glassy eyes. Smoke curled from the crooked chimney, thin and gray, lost in the swirling storm. Her chest tightened, her fingers digging into the leather spine of the journal, her heart thudding painfully.
She needed answers.
The ground was slick beneath her feet as she stumbled down the hill, her boots slipping on the mud, her body trembling, the cold sinking deeper, chilling her to her core. The rain lashed at her, sharp and icy, the wind howling, clawing at her clothes, tangling in her hair. She could barely see, the world a blur of gray and shadow, the trees swaying, their branches creaking, groaning.
She reached the house, her hands numb, her body shivering, her fingers trembling as she knocked on the warped wooden door, the sound dull, hollow, swallowed by the storm. Her heart raced, her breath uneven, her chest tight, her legs trembling beneath her. The wind howled, the rain pelting against the house, the branches scratching at the windows, skeletal fingers scraping at the glass.
The door creaked open, the hinges groaning, the air cold and damp, heavy with the scent of wood smoke and earth. Thomas stood in the doorway, his face pale, eyes wide with surprise, his hair mussed, damp curls plastered to his forehead. He looked older, wearier, shadows beneath his eyes, his shoulders sagging beneath the weight of secrets.
"Eleanor…" His voice was soft, cracked, the sound barely rising above the roar of the storm. "What… what are you doing here?"
She swallowed, her chest tightening, her fingers digging into the journal, the leather cold and damp beneath her palms. "I need answers," she said, her voice low, fractured, trembling. "I need to know the truth."
His face fell, his shoulders slumping, his eyes darkening, shadows curling across his features. He stepped back, his body stiff, his jaw tight, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "You shouldn't have come here."
Eleanor's heart thudded painfully, her breath catching, her chest tight, her body trembling. "Please, Thomas. You owe me that much."
His eyes flicked to the journal clutched against her chest, his face paling, his body tensing, his jaw clenching. He turned away, his shoulders rigid, his head bowed, his voice low, hollow. "You shouldn't have read those."
She stepped inside, the floor creaking beneath her weight, the door slamming shut behind her, the wind howling, the rain hammering against the windows. The room was dim, the air cold, damp, heavy with the scent of smoke and dust. Shadows clung to the walls, curling around the crooked beams, the furniture warped, sagging beneath the weight of time.
"You knew," she whispered, her voice trembling, her body shaking, her fingers numb. "You knew about the sacrifices. About The Echo. About my mother…"
His shoulders tensed, his hands curling into fists, his head bowed, his breath uneven, ragged. "I tried to protect you."
Her chest tightened, her vision blurring, her heart shattering. "By lying to me?" Her voice was sharp, cold, fractured. "By letting me believe she was just a healer? That she died of grief?"
He turned to face her, his eyes dark, hollow, his face twisted with pain, regret. "I did what I had to do… to keep you safe… to keep the curse from taking you."
Eleanor's stomach turned, her body trembling, her chest tight, her fingers curling around the journal, the leather cracking beneath her grip. "You were supposed to be the last sacrifice… but she took your place…" Her voice cracked, her breath catching, her eyes burning. "She died to save you… to save me… and you let me believe she abandoned me…"
Thomas's face contorted, his eyes darkening, his body trembling, his voice hollow, broken. "I never wanted this… I never wanted you to suffer… but the curse… it doesn't care about what we want…" His voice broke, his body sagging, his shoulders slumping, his hands shaking. "I tried… I tried to break it… but it's stronger than us… stronger than anything…"
Eleanor's heart shattered, her vision blurring, tears burning in her eyes, her body trembling. "She gave up everything… and you just let it happen… you let me suffer…" Her voice was fractured, broken, curling through the dim, cold room, lost in the shadows. "You let me believe I was alone…"
His face crumpled, his body collapsing, his knees hitting the floor, his shoulders shaking, his breath coming in broken, ragged gasps. "I'm so sorry…" His voice was hollow, broken, echoing through the darkness, curling through the shadows. "I never wanted to hurt you… but I didn't know how to protect you…"
The room was cold, dark, the air heavy, suffocating, the shadows pressing in, curling around them, heavy with sorrow and regret. Outside, the storm raged, the wind howling, the rain hammering against the windows, the branches clawing at the walls.
Eleanor stood there, the journal clutched to her chest, her heart shattered, her soul fractured, her body trembling. And as the shadows closed in, the whispers curling through the air, she realized that she was more alone than ever before.