(WARNING: This chapter/prologue contains violence, and mentions and depictions of gore. Please be aware if this bothers you!)

MARCH 24th, 1737.

(DR. ROBERT'S POV)

It's a good day to be happy.

Isn't that what they always say?

I feel like it's not a good day to be happy.

I have to perform one of the most difficult surgeries I think I've ever done!

I'm quite stressed to be frank.

And as one of the only good surgeons at this time, everyone comes to me.

Not to honk my own horn or anything...but everyone else's surgery jobs are pretty bad...I come to think I'm pretty darn good at it.

"Bennett?! Bennett, come here!"

I immediately get up to my wife, Irene's voice, running to her bedroom.

"Sweetie, sweetie are you okay?"

"I-I think my water broke!"

I open the door, rushing to by nine-month pregnant wife.

She groans and I help her up, hurrying us both to the car.

"You have your surgery...you can't miss that!"

"But I cannot miss my daughter being born, Irene!"

She lets out a yelp, holding onto her stomach as we hurtle down the road towards the hospital.

As soon as we make it there I pick her up, running inside the hospital lobby.

"My wife's water broke! We need a doctor immediately!"

The nurse gets up, alerting a doctor who quickly helps us into the delivering room.

******

A good two hours later I'm still sitting there, more stress being added on.

What if both of my girls do not make it?

That would be bad.

Oh no...I am missing my surgery aren't I?

I look down at my watch, standing up.

I guess I will have to miss it...

I exit the room, blowing a kiss to my in pain wife before running out the door again, and to the hospital I work at.

I scurry inside, releasing a breath when I make it to the front desk.

"Dr. Robert, you're just in time for your appointment!"

"Really? I was afraid I'd missed it...my wife is in labor."

"Actually? I hope she's doing well...a boy or a girl?"

"I'm having a little princess...Emmeline Dorothy is what we're planning on naming her. Thank you for asking, Amelia."

"Never a problem! And that's just beautiful...but I must warn you...there's something wrong with this patient. They're acting strange."

"How so?"

"I should let you go yourself, Bennett. Good luck now, with the surgery and your daughter. But before you go..."

"Yes?"

Amelia looks uneasy.

"What hospital is your wife at?"

"Umm...I believe Sunflower Emergency Care. Why?"

Amelia makes a face.

"I was almost sure she was here..."

She mutters, and I frown.

"Okay...have a good evening, Amelia."

I smile at her, waving before hurrying off.

Amelia frowns, looking at her computer screen.

Five days left until Sudden Death.

*******

Dr. Robert soon makes it into the surgery room, but the person who's in there isn't who he expects.

It seems to him that in the hospital bed there's a woman giving birth.

He isn't exactly sure why it's an emergency surgery...until he sees her face.

Irene is laying in that hospital bed, giving birth to their daughter.

He was almost absolutely sure he left her back at Sunflower Emergency Care.

The doctor hands his wife a baby, a beautiful little girl wrapped in a blanket.

The woman moves her eyes up, smiling almost too wide.

"Come, darling. Come see our baby."

But when he heard her voice...he was 100% sure it wasn't his wife.

Yes, it.

Because the more he looked at her, the more she started to shift into a horrible monster with a fork tongue longer than a snake's, and eyes with pupils similar to thin slits.

A serpent monster.

He immediately runs forward, yanking the stiff child in his hands.

Stiff.

Still.

Cold.

He feels two small hands claw into his skin, and when he too looks down, the thing is a monster.

But not any monster.

Simply an infant still, with a smile full of a row of thirty two sharp teeth.

Stillborn.

******

My eyes shoot open, and I see Irene still in the hospital bed, but now more still, her chest moving up and down.

She's sleeping.

I stand up from the hospital chair, fixing my glasses and rubbing my head.

What a horrific nightmare.

My mind goes blank.

I missed the surgery.

Damn it!

I pace back and forth, when I hear a small cry.

A baby's cry.

I turn my head around, seeing the small baby tucked in Irene's arms.

Our baby girl.

I approach her, looking down at the small child.

So cute.

Irene shifts, her eyes fluttering open.

A smile stretches across her pale face.

"You're awake."

"I missed everything didn't I? I'm so sorry."

"Everything's okay. As long as you're here now. Isn't she beautiful?"

"Yes...our little Emmeline."

Irene smiles.

"Our little Emmeline."

*******

FOUR HOURS LATER...

I now lay wide awake in our bed, Irene cuddling Emmeline.

Something is not sitting right.

Because the more I look at my baby, my wife, the more I know something is completely off.

I didn't want to scare her...I didn't want to scare my wife...but our little Emmeline...our little Emmeline isn't alive.

I don't know how to tell her that she was stillborn.

That she's cuddling a dead baby.

That she's cuddling a dead baby way too similar to the one in my nightmare...with the same grin on its face as its eyes track my every move.

I stand up, distancing myself from Emmeline.

She's starting to scare me.

I walk out of the bedroom, and into the living room where I exit the back door.

Might as well soak in some moonlight.

Everything's wrong...everything's wrong in this life.

Especially when my wife Irene died from childbirth.

I'm going crazy aren't I?

Laying in that bed pretending she's there.

Laying in that bed with her corpse.

My baby's as well.

I couldn't and can't cope with their loss...so I kept their bodies.

I'm going to go to hell...I kill my patients on purpose...and tell the nurses I simply couldn't save them.

I'm sick.

I stare straight ahead, just as someone knocks my head with a bat, watching as I pass out.

I here six words before everything goes blank.

In my wife's bittersweet voice.

"You're gonna die...I'm gonna kill you."

******

TWO MONTHS LATER...

The TV glitches before turning on.

A chirpy blonde woman is shown on the screen.

"It's been two whole months since local surgeon, Dr. Robert, went missing from his Victorian home! The only thing left was a bloody trail out of Willow's Forest, a place district teens now claim is haunted by his dead child and wife who also died to unseen circumstances in their own home. The mystery of the Robert's family remains unsolved, and until we figure it out, the town of Willow's Peak will remain in utter fear of the monster or killer that murdered this loving family."

******

PRESENT DAY,

OCTOBER 15th, 1879.

5:34 PM.

(IVY'S POV)

I put down the newspaper my mom had in her unorganized desk drawers from grandma years ago.

I cannot believe I, Ivy Harriet, am related to the Robert family?!

My great great grandpa went missing while my great great grandma and great grandma died.

The mystery to who killed them people still don't know.

"Ivy Harriet! You better not be scaring yourself with those darn newspapers again! That was ages ago, sweetie."

"I know! But it's interesting! I really want to know what happened!"

"Well quit playing with the past and come eat dinner in the present!"

I stand up, dropping the newspaper and turning around, not before looking right back at the newspaper.

Huh...

I pick it back up, staring intently at the paper.

Two bloody circle marks that make a sort of eight shape.

That wasn't there before...I blink and it disappears, leaving the same words I've been reading over and over again.

"Ivy Harriet! Get down here, your food is going to get cold!"

I jump from my mother's yelling, rushing downstairs.

"Sorry, ma'am!"

I run into the dining room, landing with a thump in my seat, right next to my little brother George.

My mother, father, and George all look at me funny.

"What?"

"Show some more manners, child. I know I didn't teach you to act like this...or dress like that."

I look down at my shorts and T-shirt.

"What's wrong with it?"

"A real lady would wear a skirt, or a dress."

"Ugh. Whatever."

I shove a forkful of mash potatoes in my mouth, then another, and another until the whole plate of mashed potatoes, gravy, and honey-glazed ham is gone.

"May I be excused?! I have to go get ready."

"For what? I know you aren't trying to go out at night! That's dangerous! Especially for a woman."

"I'm going to be with Emmett and Spencer too...if a scary man comes they can fight them off."

"Where are you trying to go?"

"Just to the little tavern."

"You're underage, and there are tavern wenches! I don't want my daughter to get the wrong idea!"

"I won't mom...I promise. Just for a sandwich or something. I'd like to talk with my friends."

"Ask your father."

I snap my head around towards my father, who shrugs.

"Ask your mom."

"But—"

"Ugh. Just go!"

My mother shoos me away, and I hurry back up the stairs, pulling on a long tan dress that blends in too much with my skin, layering a petticoat over it.

I tie a little bandana over my hair, and hurry back down the stairs.

"I'll be back soon!"

"Okay, Ivy. Don't be too late. 11 the latest. And make sure one of the boys take you home, and if they do no funny business!"

"I get it mom!"

I sigh before hurrying out the door, and George groans.

"Why can't I do fun stuff?"

"Because, honey..."

He looks expectantly at my mother.

"Yes...?"

"Because, honey, you're 10 if you didn't notice."

******

I hurry along down the street, ignoring the calls of some of the men looking for a little wench to mess around with.

I'm not that type of girl...if anything that's most definitely Orabelle, she simply loves the attention.

And since the mayor is her father, that's simply something she always gets.

I approach the tavern, The Limping Seals Inn, and open the door, searching with my eyes for them.

I see Emmett chatting it up with another few tavern wenches, three to be exact.

The boy's quite the lady's man.

I approach them, smiling at the girls.

"Hey, you three. No need to ruin your party...but I have to talk to him."

I wink jokingly, and they seemingly get the hint, nodding before hurrying off.

"Oh come on, Ives. I was having fun."

"Too much fun. Where are the others?"

"You know Spencer's busy trying to get that science degree for college...and Cecily's parents never let her out of the house for anything. Only god knows where Orabelle is."

"Probably in another man's bedroom."

We both share a laugh, and Emmett grins.

"Any way I could get you a drink, malady?"

"19, Emmett. Remember?"

"Oh, yes. But a small beer wouldn't hurt, no?"

"I'd say otherwise. That's very unladylike."

"Screw being a lady, Ives. You're quite the opposite. If you're trying to go by your mother's rules, don't. We all know you don't like men."

"Oh yes. I'm aware. Quite a mistake on my end...no other female would ever be interested in me."

"That must be a joke! Cecily likes you."

I flush, leaning against the bar counter next to him.

"I'm not her type."

"Not who's type?"

Orabelle pops up behind  Emmett, wearing yet another short dress that only the tavern wenches would be seen in.

"Guess who's twenty minutes late?"

"Sorry...some people get action unlike you. Money as well."

She holds up a stack of cash, and my eyes narrow down on the diamond ring on her finger, then the small, almost unnoticeable amount of blood littering her dress.

"One second, Emmett. Orabelle, can you come with me?"

"Me? Yeah."

I pull her into the lady's room, frowning.

"What did you do?! How do you have that ring?"

Orabelle's usual smile cracks, morphing into a frown.

"I don't know...I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to kill him."

"What do you mean?! Again?!"

"Yes, again! But Shh! Someone can hear us. It just happened! He was married...and the only thing I remember was kissing him. I blacked out and when I woke up I was standing over his dead body. Blood was everywhere. I took his money and left."

"You didn't call the police?"

"No...I'd be put on death row! They'd call me a witch! This is the third time it's happened...and I swear to you this same group of black ravens continue following me! I'm scared!"

"D-Don't be...we'll fix this, okay?! Let's just go back so they don't suspect anything."

"Okay. Thank you, Ivy."

"No problem. That's what friends do."

I smile.

"Lie for each other."

******

Orabelle and I approach our group again, which Cecily and Spencer are now a part of.

Cecily turns her head as soon as she hears the click of heels, and her eyes scan my body.

Her lips part before she moves her eyes back to mine, smiling.

"Hey, Ivy." Her eyes move to Orabelle. "Hi, Orabelle."

I blush.

"Hey, Cecily."

Orabelle grins.

"Hi, Ceci!"

We both wave to Spencer.

"Hey, Spence!"

"Hey guys! I just dropped my application letter off in the mail, so hopefully they'll send a letter back!"

Orabelle smirks.

"I find it hilarious that you're the only one interested in going to college."

"Well, Ora. Some people actually want to have a life."

We all start laughing.

Orabelle holds up her stack of cash.

"I've gotta stack of cash...who wants to spend it on drinks?!"

*******

After a couple drinks we're all a bit tipsy when the mail person comes bustling in.

We all turn our heads, and they start throwing newspapers at everyone.

I catch one mid air, and they all look at me expectantly.

"What does it say?!"

I frown.

"TNSD just released an emergency report..."

"There are werewolves in Willow Forest."

Emmett finishes, and we all meet eyes.

"Werewolves?!"

Cecily yelps, shaking slightly.

"What does that mean?!"

Orabelle asks, looking paler than she usually does.

"I think we have to go in the forest."

"What?!" We all say, snapping our heads to look at Spencer who holds his hands up in surrender.

"Hear me out. There's been strange things happening in Willow's Peak lately...and I think this is simply just a wake up call. Someone or something is calling out to us. Think about it. People are reporting in the newspapers how they've been having literal superpowers, while others have been showing symptoms similar to rabies. But when tested...it showed negative."

Cecily looks at us all uneasily.

"I didn't want to tell or scare anyone...but last night I had this really vivid nightmare. It was horrifying."

We all look at her eagerly.

"I was in the middle of Willow's Forest, and...and I was at the Robert's house...I saw him, guys. I saw Bennett Robert. H-He was there with a cleaver, chopping up his wife and baby. He fed them to his pigs...and then...and then he did the same to me. I really have a feeling it's something that happened before...that...that—never mind."

My eyes expand as Emmett cuts in too.

"I saw this thing out my window last night. It was mortifying. Skinny and almost translucent, you could see its bones. It had long legs and arms, positioned in a sort of hunched crouch with this grin that stretched all the way to its ears, gaping, jagged, and bloody. Its eyes only had little dots as pupils, and to be honest I was pretty scared."

I grimace.

"That's terrible. What I experienced wasn't half as bad, but it's kind of as if I looked into the past by touching something. When I went outside, and was climbing a tree, when I touched one branch my mind immediately went blank, and I saw someone hanging from it...I swear. She looked like Bessie Brown, the girl who committed suicide in 1821. And earlier today when I put down a newspaper I saw a sort of eight shaped figure painted in blood on it...made with two dripping circles."

Spencer nods.

"That symbol? I've seen it too. Everywhere I look...I see it. I also think I read someone's mind earlier."

Orabelle grimaces.

"I don't think it's as bad as mine..."

I frown when I realize she's going to tell them.

"What?! What happened, Ora?"

She moves her eyes to Cecily.

"Well...so you see...lately I've been sleeping with married men. That's not the weird part though. Because I start kissing them, and then all of a sudden I black out. I never remember anything, like my mind went blank. And when I wake up, I'm half naked, a Diamond ring on my finger, and the guy's dead. Mutilated. It just happened again today...it has happened four times now. I'm really scared. Also, these ravens keep following me...and I swear there's something very wrong."

Spencer nods.

"See? This is a sign. Bennett Robert is calling out to us...or something in that forest is. The creatures, the symbols, the ravens, the nightmares, they're telling us something! We have to go into that forest and see what...because someone, or something way more sinister is hiding behind those trees."

He looks at each of us one by one, throwing his bag over his shoulder and motioning for us to follow him from the tavern.

As we walk deeper and deeper into the night, he pauses, turning to face me and the others.

"Or something is hiding deep inside of us."