The attic was cloaked in shadows, the dim light of a single lantern flickering as the old man flipped through the journal's pages with trembling hands. Each word that appeared seemed to pulse with a life of its own, the ink crawling across the page as if it resisted his touch.
"It has to end here," he muttered, his voice a strained whisper. His breath fogged the cold air as he placed the journal on a worn table, its leather cover etched with symbols that seemed to glimmer faintly.
The house groaned around him, as though it were alive and listening. The journal hummed, its energy seeping into the room like an unseen presence. The old man grabbed a rusted dagger from his pocket, its blade jagged and dull.
He raised the dagger over the journal, his hand shaking. "You will not control them," he growled. "Not again."
The journal reacted. Words spilled onto the page faster than he could read, forming sentences that chilled him to his core.
You cannot destroy what is bound by blood.
"No!" he roared, slamming the dagger down. A crack of light burst from the journal, illuminating the attic in a blinding flash. The old man staggered back, his body writhing as if the very air around him was being ripped apart.
And then, silence. The lantern sputtered out, leaving the attic in darkness.
When the townspeople found the house days later, it was empty. The journal sat untouched on the table, its pages blank, waiting.
Waiting for them.
---