Shattered reflection

Chapter 11: Shadows in the Night

Mia couldn't sleep. She lay on the cold, uneven floor of the cabin, her mind buzzing with questions and dread. The walls around her seemed alive, the shadows creeping along the cracked wood as if waiting for her to drop her guard. Every now and then, she'd hear something—faint whispers, distant rustling—and her heart would skip a beat.

Jake was sitting by the door, keeping watch, but even he looked uneasy. His fingers tapped nervously against his knee, and his eyes darted from the window to the shadows outside. The stillness in the air felt unnatural, as though the forest itself had gone silent in anticipation of something.

Mia sat up, clutching her father's journal to her chest. The way the words had shifted, the strange protection woven into the pages—everything was pointing toward a deeper darkness than she had anticipated. She needed answers, but the more she searched, the more elusive they became.

"I can't do this," she muttered under her breath, running a hand through her hair. "It's like we're fighting against something we can't even see."

Jake looked over at her, his expression grim but determined. "We'll figure it out. We just need more time."

Mia wasn't sure how much more time they had. Lucien's presence—whether it was his influence, his legacy, or something more—was growing stronger with each passing day. The shadows seemed to be closing in, and Mia could feel the weight of them pressing down on her.

Suddenly, there was a sharp knock at the door.

Mia froze, her heart racing. Jake jumped to his feet, his hand hovering over the knife at his side. They exchanged a quick glance, both of them tense and ready for anything.

The knock came again, louder this time. Mia felt a surge of panic rise in her chest. No one was supposed to know they were here. Whoever was at the door wasn't friendly.

Jake motioned for Mia to stay back as he crept toward the door, his movements slow and deliberate. He pressed his ear against the wood, listening for any sounds outside. For a moment, there was nothing but silence.

Then, a voice—low and distorted—whispered through the door.

"Let me in."

Mia's blood ran cold. The voice was unfamiliar, but something about it felt wrong—inhuman, almost as if it were coming from the shadows themselves.

Jake didn't move. He stood there, frozen, as the voice came again.

"Let me in."

Mia's hands tightened around the journal, her knuckles white. She couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen, that the shadows outside were growing restless, hungry.

Jake glanced back at her, his eyes wide with fear. "We can't open it," he whispered. "Whatever's out there—it's not human."

Mia nodded, her throat dry. "What do we do?"

Jake's grip tightened on the knife. "We wait. We don't open the door, no matter what."

For what felt like hours, they stayed there in silence, the voice continuing to whisper from outside. It never grew louder, but its persistence was unsettling, as if it knew they were trapped inside, powerless to escape.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the knocking stopped.

Jake and Mia exchanged wary glances, their muscles still tense and ready. For a long moment, neither of them moved, waiting to see if the voice would return.

But it didn't. The cabin was once again enveloped in an eerie silence, the shadows outside still and quiet.

"I don't like this," Mia whispered, her voice shaky. "Something's out there, watching us."

Jake nodded, his jaw clenched. "We need to get out of here. As soon as the sun comes up, we're leaving."

Mia agreed. Staying in the cabin any longer felt like tempting fate. Whatever had come to their door tonight wasn't going to stop. They were being hunted—by Lucien, by the shadows, by forces they didn't yet understand.

The rest of the night passed in tense silence, neither of them daring to sleep. Every creak of the cabin, every rustle of the wind outside, made them jump. It wasn't until the first light of dawn crept through the window that they finally relaxed, if only slightly.

"We need to move," Jake said, standing up and stretching his stiff muscles. "The town's not far from here. We'll head to the archives first, see what we can find."

Mia nodded, gathering their belongings quickly. As she slipped the journal and diary back into her bag, she couldn't shake the feeling that the darkness was following them—that even daylight wouldn't be enough to keep it at bay.

They left the cabin behind, stepping into the morning fog that clung to the trees like a veil. The forest felt different in the daylight—less ominous, but no less dangerous. Mia kept close to Jake as they made their way through the trees, her eyes scanning their surroundings for any signs of movement.

The voice from the night before still echoed in her mind.

Let me in.

Mia shuddered, quickening her pace. Whatever was hunting them, they couldn't afford to slow down.

The town appeared in the distance, its buildings shrouded in mist. As they approached, Mia couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding. This place had once been home to her father, to Elias, to Lucien—and now it held the answers she desperately needed.

But it also held the darkness that had been unleashed so long ago. And Mia wasn't sure if they were ready to face it.

As they entered the town, the streets were eerily empty, as if the townspeople themselves had disappeared. The weight of the past hung heavy in the air, and Mia knew that the answers they sought wouldn't come without a price.

The shadows were watching. And they were closing in.