The air inside Margaret Thorne’s cottage was thick with tension, and Lilith could feel the weight of the old woman’s words pressing down on her like a vice. The dim light from the candle barely illuminated the small room, casting long, flickering shadows that danced along the walls like ghosts. Lilith’s heart pounded in her chest, each beat a reminder of how deep she was sinking into the nightmare of Hollow Creek.

“You have no idea what you’re dealing with,” Margaret continued, her voice low and gravelly, like stones grinding together. “The pact isn’t just a curse on your family—it’s tied to this entire town. Your ancestors thought they could control the darkness, but they were wrong. It’s always been the one controlling them.”

Lilith stepped forward, her frustration bubbling over. “Then why didn’t anyone tell me? Why didn’t my parents say anything? They knew—my mother, she came to you once. I remember! What did she ask you? What did you tell her?”

Margaret’s eyes flickered with something—regret? Guilt? It was impossible to tell. She turned back toward the hearth, staring into the dying embers of an old fire. Her silence only fueled Lilith’s desperation.

“I need to know!” Lilith’s voice trembled. “If my family made this pact, then I deserve to know what it means—what it’s going to cost me.”

Margaret turned slowly, her expression hardening. “Your mother was a fool. She thought she could escape it, just like you. She came here, begging for a way out. But there is no way out. The pact is blood, and blood demands payment.”

Lilith’s breath caught in her throat. “What do you mean? What happened to her?”

Margaret’s gaze darkened, her eyes locking with Lilith’s. “She ran. But the darkness doesn’t forget. It found her, just like it will find you.”

Lilith’s heart skipped a beat. “My mother—she died in an accident.”

“Did she?” Margaret’s tone was sharp, her voice cutting through the fog of confusion that clouded Lilith’s thoughts. “Do you really believe that? Or is that what they told you to keep you from asking too many questions?”

The room seemed to tilt, and Lilith’s mind raced. She had always accepted the story of her mother’s death—an accident, a tragedy—but now doubt crept in, twisting her memories. Could it have been something more? Something darker? Had her mother been running from the pact, only to be caught in its grip?

“No,” Lilith whispered, shaking her head. “No, you’re lying. She wouldn’t have left me like that. She wouldn’t have…”

“She had no choice,” Margaret said softly, her voice losing its edge. “Once the pact takes hold, there is no escaping it. Your mother knew that. She tried to protect you, but the pact… it doesn’t care about love, or family, or promises. It only cares about the blood it’s owed.”

Lilith’s knees felt weak, and she leaned against the table for support, her fingers gripping the edge of the worn wood. Her mind was spinning, reeling from the weight of the revelation. Everything she had believed about her family, about her mother—it was all unraveling, like a thread pulled from the fabric of her life.

“Why now?” Lilith asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Why is this happening now, after all these years?”

Margaret sighed, her shoulders sagging as if the weight of the years had finally caught up with her. “Because the time has come. The pact was made for power—power that your family gained, but power always comes at a price. Every generation, the pact demands its due. The mark on your door… it’s a signal. The gathering tomorrow night—it’s the beginning of the end.”

Lilith’s pulse quickened. “The gathering… what are they going to do?”

Margaret’s expression shifted, her lips pressing into a thin line. “It’s a ritual. The Chosen—those marked by the pact—are called to complete it. You will be tested, and if you fail…”

She didn’t finish the sentence, but Lilith didn’t need her to. The weight of the unsaid words hung in the air like a noose, tightening around her throat.

“I won’t let them do this to me,” Lilith said, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and defiance. “There has to be a way to stop it, a way to break the pact.”

Margaret stepped closer, her dark eyes boring into Lilith’s. “There’s only one way to break the pact, and it’s not something you’re going to like.”

Lilith’s stomach clenched, dread curling in her gut. “What is it?”

Margaret leaned in, her voice barely above a whisper. “Blood. The pact was sealed with blood, and it can only be broken with blood. But not just any blood—the blood of the one who holds the power.”

Lilith blinked, her mind racing to make sense of Margaret’s words. “The one who holds the power? You mean the one who made the pact?”

Margaret shook her head. “No. The one who controls it now. Someone in Hollow Creek has taken the power of the pact for themselves. They’ve been waiting for this moment, waiting for you to return so they can complete the ritual.”

Lilith’s chest tightened. “Who?”

“I don’t know,” Margaret admitted, her voice heavy with regret. “But they’ve been hiding in plain sight, manipulating everything from the shadows. You need to find them before the gathering. If you can stop them, if you can spill their blood, the pact will be broken.”

Lilith’s mouth went dry. The idea of spilling someone’s blood, of killing someone, sent a wave of nausea through her, but if it was the only way to escape the pact’s grip…

Margaret seemed to sense her hesitation. “You don’t have much time, child. Tomorrow night, the ritual will begin, and once it starts, there will be no turning back. You need to decide—are you willing to do what it takes to survive?”

Lilith’s mind raced, her thoughts colliding in a whirlwind of fear, confusion, and anger. Could she really go through with it? Could she kill someone, even if it meant saving herself?

Before she could respond, a sudden noise shattered the silence. A loud thud from outside, followed by the unmistakable creak of footsteps. Someone was outside the cottage.

Margaret’s eyes widened, and she moved quickly toward the window, peering out into the foggy darkness. Her hand shot up to her mouth, stifling a gasp.

“They’re here,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “They’ve come for you.”

Lilith’s heart raced, her body going cold. “Who? Who’s out there?”

Margaret backed away from the window, her face pale. “The ones who serve the pact. They’ve come to make sure you don’t leave.”

A chill ran down Lilith’s spine. “What do we do?”

Margaret’s eyes darted around the room, as if searching for an answer. “There’s a back door,” she said quickly, motioning toward the far wall. “You need to run. Now. Before they break in.”

Lilith’s pulse quickened as adrenaline surged through her veins. Without thinking, she turned toward the back of the cottage, her legs moving before her mind could catch up. She reached the door just as the front of the cottage shook violently, the sound of wood splintering and breaking filling the air.

“Go!” Margaret hissed. “I’ll hold them off as long as I can.”

Lilith’s hand trembled as she grabbed the door handle and yanked it open, the cold night air hitting her like a slap. She glanced back at Margaret, who was already moving toward the front of the cottage, her shoulders squared with grim determination.

“Thank you,” Lilith whispered, her voice barely audible.

Margaret didn’t turn around, her focus entirely on the intruders at the front. “Don’t thank me yet. Just survive.”

With that, Lilith slipped out the door and into the night, her heart pounding in her chest as she sprinted into the dense fog that surrounded the cottage. The forest loomed ahead, its dark branches reaching out like twisted arms ready to pull her in. She could hear the sound of footsteps behind her, the unmistakable rustle of leaves and the snap of twigs as someone—or something—followed in her wake.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as she pushed herself harder, her legs burning with the effort. She didn’t know where she was going, only that she had to keep moving. The fog thickened, swallowing the path ahead, but she didn’t dare stop. The shadows were closing in.

Behind her, the sound of pursuit grew louder, closer. Lilith’s heart raced as panic clawed at her chest. She was running out of time.

She couldn’t stop. She couldn’t let them catch her.

The darkness of the forest enveloped her, and she disappeared into its shadowy embrace.