Clara sat on the edge of her bed, the letter still in her trembling hands. The creditors' note had come that morning, but it wasn't until now, in the dead of night, that the reality had settled in. There was no way out, no time left. She had reached a breaking point. She had no choice but to comply. The ominous letter had given her an address: 47A Redwood Avenue. It was a place she'd heard whispered about her whole life—the Dead Man's Estate.
The name alone sent a cold shiver down her spine. Locals said it was cursed, a place where people disappeared and never came back. The eerie quiet that surrounded the crumbling houses was enough to unsettle even the bravest. Yet, here she was, preparing to meet whoever had sent her the letter. She had no idea who they were or what they wanted, but the desperation in her life made it impossible to turn back now.
"Forty-seven-A… Redwood Avenue," she muttered to herself, a chill creeping into her voice. It was less than a 30-minute walk from her apartment, not too far at all. She had passed the street countless times, but never had she been brave enough to venture inside. The Dead Man's Estate was no place for the living, or at least that's what everyone said. The overgrown bushes, the abandoned homes that looked as though they had been frozen in time—they all whispered of something darker, something long buried beneath the ruins.
Clara couldn't afford to back out. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, willing the fear to stay at bay. You have no choice. You've come this far. There's no turning back now. She silently prayed, hoping for some miracle, even though she knew deep down there were no miracles left for people like her.
She tucked the letter into the pocket of her jacket, clutched the single item of value she had left—a necklace given to her by her mother, something that had once felt like a symbol of hope—and stepped into the night. The city streets were unusually quiet, the only sound being the rhythmic clicking of her shoes against the pavement. Each step took her closer to the unknown, closer to the place that had been whispered about in fear for as long as she could remember.
When she finally arrived, her heart was racing, but there was no sign of anyone waiting for her. She stood at the entrance to the estate, the towering wrought iron gates creaking in the wind as if they were alive. The address she had been given was at the end of the street, where the houses faded into shadow, hidden behind a thick layer of overgrown trees and brambles. The place was abandoned, desolate, and unnervingly quiet.
It was past midnight, the sky a velvety black with only the occasional whisper of clouds crossing the moon. Surprisingly, the moon was unusually bright tonight, casting an eerie silver glow across the grounds of the Dead Man's Estate. Clara squinted, trying to make sense of her surroundings in the pale light, but all she saw were decaying buildings and the thick brush that seemed to swallow the path ahead. Her stomach twisted in knots.
She hesitated at the entrance, staring at the looming buildings that loomed like forgotten sentinels. A strange feeling washed over her, like she was being watched, but when she scanned the area, there was no one in sight. She should have turned back. She should have walked away. But her feet remained rooted in place.
Minutes dragged into an hour as she stood by the gate, the eerie stillness wrapping around her like a suffocating blanket. She wanted to leave. The thought of being alone in a place so ominous and dangerous made her stomach churn. But then something caught her eye.
A glint in the dim light.
Lying just a few feet away from where she stood, on the ground near the old iron gate, was a package. A small, unassuming box, as if it had been placed there just for her. She hesitated before stepping forward, her heart thudding louder in her chest with every step. The air seemed thicker now, more suffocating.
Bending down, she picked it up, the weight of it strange, almost as if something inside were pressing against the cardboard, begging to be opened. The moment her fingers touched it, she felt a chill run through her spine.
There was no address. No name. Only a strange symbol on the top of the box, a jagged line running through a circle, with sharp angles like broken glass. Her pulse quickened as she stared at the unfamiliar marking, unsure of what it meant but instinctively knowing that it was a warning.
A note fell out from under the lid as she opened it.
"The key to your future awaits. Don't wait too long to claim it."
Her breath hitched as she read the cryptic message. What was this? Who had sent it? And why here, of all places?
She had barely finished reading when the sounds of footsteps echoed in the distance. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she quickly stuffed the box into her jacket and turned to face the shadows. Someone was coming.
Was it them?
Was this the beginning of everything? Or the end?