Chapter 2 — Briar Hollow
The town sign was rotting but legible:
WELCOME TO BRIAR HOLLOW
POPULATION: 312
Below it, carved deep into the wood:
LEAVE BEFORE DARK
They laughed at first. Nervous laughter. The kind people use to convince themselves they're still in control.
But Briar Hollow was too quiet.
No birds. No wind. Just buildings watching them—windows dark, doors slightly open, like mouths waiting to speak.
A man stood in the middle of the street.
He didn't move.
He didn't blink.
When Evan rolled the window down to ask for directions, the man finally spoke:
"You weren't invited."
Then every door in town slammed shut at once.