Kai stood at the edge of the property, his eyes fixed on the ruined farmhouse before him. The place was eerily quiet. A mist clung to the ground, swirling lazily as if it had a life of its own. He adjusted his grip on the shotgun slung across his shoulder, the weight of it oddly comforting.
The call had come in early that morning. A family of five had vanished without a trace from this isolated farm on the outskirts of Greenridge, a small rural town two hours from the city. It was an assignment that any other officer might have considered routine—domestic issues, perhaps. But for Kai, the details had sent a chill down his spine.
The livestock mutilations. The strange symbols carved into the barn. The whispers of shadowy figures moving in the woods.
It was all too familiar.
Kai pushed open the gate, its rusted hinges groaning in protest. He scanned the area with practiced precision. His sharp instincts had kept him alive before, and they hummed now like a low warning bell in the back of his mind.
The farmhouse itself was a two-story structure, its paint peeling and windows dark. Surrounding it were overgrown fields and a rickety barn that seemed on the verge of collapse. Kai stepped closer, his boots crunching on the gravel path.
"You got this," he muttered under his breath.
As he approached the front door, he noticed something etched into the wood. Symbols. They were crude and erratic, as though carved in haste, but their resemblance to the ones he'd seen in Stowntown was unmistakable. He ran a finger over them, feeling the jagged edges.
The memories came rushing back: the church, the altar, the monsters. He shook his head, forcing himself to focus. This wasn't the time for reflection.
Inside, the house was unnervingly still. Dust hung in the air, and the faint scent of decay tickled his nose. Kai swept his shotgun in an arc, moving cautiously through the entryway. The furniture was overturned, and deep gouges marred the walls and floorboards. Whatever had happened here, it wasn't the work of animals.
His flashlight beam landed on the dining room table, where a single, bloodied handprint stained the wood. It was small—too small to belong to an adult. Kai's stomach tightened.
Suddenly, a noise broke the silence. A faint creak, like footsteps on the floor above.
Kai's muscles tensed. He raised the shotgun and moved toward the staircase, his boots barely making a sound.
"Greenridge PD," he called out, his voice steady but firm. "If anyone's here, make yourself known."
There was no response. Only the soft creaking continued, growing fainter as he ascended the stairs.
The hallway was dimly lit by the weak daylight filtering through the cracks in the boarded-up windows. Kai's flashlight illuminated more destruction: scratches gouged into the walls, a shattered mirror, and what looked like dried blood spattered across the floor.
He followed the sound to the last door on the left. It was slightly ajar, swaying gently as though nudged by an unseen hand. Kai swallowed hard, gripping the shotgun tightly.
He pushed the door open with the barrel.
The room was empty.
At first glance, it appeared to be a child's bedroom. A small bed sat against one wall, its sheets torn and stained. Toys lay scattered across the floor, some broken. But what drew Kai's attention was the window.
It was wide open, the curtains fluttering in the breeze. And outside, just beyond the edge of the woods, a figure stood watching him.
Kai moved to the window, his eyes locked on the figure. It was tall and humanoid but unnaturally thin, its limbs too long for its body. It didn't move, didn't flinch, but even from this distance, Kai could feel its gaze boring into him.
His breath quickened.
This was no ordinary case. He'd known it the moment he'd read the report, but now there was no doubt. The curse had found him again.
Kai raised his shotgun, leveling it at the figure, but before he could pull the trigger, it disappeared. One moment it was there, and the next, the clearing was empty.
"Damn it," he muttered, stepping back from the window.
He turned to leave the room, but something caught his attention—a faint whisper, almost imperceptible, like the wind carrying voices from a great distance.
"Kai… you can't escape…"
Back downstairs, Kai took a moment to collect himself. He leaned against the kitchen counter, his mind racing. He had spent the last year trying to rebuild his life, telling himself that the horrors of Stowntown were over. But the symbols, the figure, the whispers—they all pointed to one chilling conclusion.
The curse was spreading.
Kai's phone buzzed, jolting him from his thoughts. He glanced at the screen. It was Dr. Eleanor Marks, the occult researcher he had worked with during the Stowntown incident.
"Kai," she said the moment he answered. Her voice was tense. "We need to talk."
"Yeah," he replied, his gaze drifting back toward the front door. "I think you're right."