Prologue
The fog rolled in like a shroud, thick and heavy, swallowing the last remnants of daylight as it crept through the narrow streets of Eldridge Hollow. The town, with its quaint cottages and cobblestone paths, appeared almost ethereal in the dim light, a picturesque facade that belied the darkness lurking beneath. In the heart of this seemingly idyllic place, a secret lay buried—a secret that twisted the very fabric of reality.
Detective Alex Carter stood at the edge of the town square, his breath visible in the chill of the evening air. He had come to Eldridge Hollow seeking refuge from his past, hoping to leave behind the ghosts that haunted him. But as he gazed at the flickering streetlamps casting long shadows on the ground, he felt an unsettling sense of familiarity—a feeling that he had stepped into a world where time held no meaning and memories were but whispers in the wind.
It was then that he noticed it: a figure sprawled on the cobblestones, lifeless and still. Panic surged through him as he rushed forward, his instincts kicking in. The town's tranquility shattered in an instant. As he knelt beside the body, a chilling realization gripped him—no one around him seemed to remember how this had happened.
"Who is it?" he asked, looking up at a gathering crowd whose faces were painted with confusion and fear. But their eyes reflected something more—an emptiness that sent shivers down his spine.
"I... I don't know," one woman stammered, her brow furrowed in concentration as she struggled to recall even the simplest details of her night. "I can't remember."
The words echoed in Alex's mind like a haunting refrain. In this town where memories slipped through fingers like sand, he would have to navigate a labyrinth of secrets and lies. What had happened here? And why did it feel as if he had walked into a living nightmare?
As darkness enveloped Eldridge Hollow, Alex felt an unsettling truth settle over him: this was no ordinary investigation. Here, in this town where memories were lost to time, he would uncover not just a murder but a conspiracy that threatened to consume them all.
And in doing so, he would confront not only the shadows of others but also the demons of his own past—memories he had tried so hard to forget.