The first time something felt wrong in Hollow's end, it was a Thursday. The kind of dame, grey morning where the fog never quite lifted. clinging to the town like a cold, wet hand. Seventeen-year-old Finn Carter pedaled his bike past the shuttered feed store, his breath visible in the air, and wondered why the streets felt so empty.
It wasn't until third period that anyone noticed Lily Greer was missing.
''Her desk's been empty all day,'' whispered Mia, Finns best friend, as their biology teacher droned on about mitosis. '' She wouldn't just skip. Not after...'' She trailed off, her dark eyes flicking to the window.
Not after what happened to Mr. Brewer, Finn thought.
Old Tom Brewer, the groundskeeper at Hollows End High, had vanished two weeks earlier. They'd found his thermos still warm in the toolshed, his boots by the door, as if he'd stepped out for a smoke and dissolved into the mist. The Sheriff called it a ''senior moment,'' but everyone knew Tom could've navigated the woods blindfolded.
By lunch the whispers had spread. Lilly's mom had called the school in tears. Her Bed hadn't been slept in. Her phone lay charging on her nightstand. And on her windowsill- a clump of wiry black fur, damp and reeking of spoiled meat.
Finn didn't believe in the stories. Not really. Hollow's End thrived on legends-the ghost lights in the marsh, the witch who supposedly haunted Bone Ridge, the shadowy ''stickmen'' kids claimed to see in the woods. But those were campfire tales, invented to scare tourists into buying Survived Hollow's End T-shirts from the gas station. Sheriff Dawson held a town meeting in the high school gym, his mustache twitching under the fluorescent lights. ''Now, folks, let's
not panic,'' he boomed, though his holster looked conspicuously full. ''We've got search parties combing the woods, and the state police are sending reinforcements...''
The rain fell in sheets, drenching the quiet town of Hollows End. Mia pulled her hood tighter around her face, her breath visible in the cold night air. Besides her, Finn adjusted the strap of his backpack, his flashlight cutting through the darkness. They had volunteered to help look for Lilly, along with the entire town. As they trudged through the muddy path, hiking thru the woods they seen off in the distance an old observatory on the hill.
Finn nodded; his usual playful demeanor replaced be a rare seriousness. '' let's go check it out, Mia. Lily wouldn't just disappear without a reason.''
Lily wasn't the type to run away or wander off without telling anyone. She was meticulous, responsible, and always where she said she'd be. They came upon the observatory, its dome-shaped roof barely visible though the storm. It had been abandoned for years, a relic of the Willowbrook scientific ambitions in the 1960s. But recently, rumors had circulated about the strange lights and sounds coming from the building. Mia and Finn had dismissed them as ghost stories until now.
As they approached the entrance, Mia noticed fresh tire tracks in the mud.
''Someone's been here recently,'' she whispered, her heart pounding. Finn shone his flashlight on the door, which was slightly ajar. The lock had been broken.
They exchanged a glance, their unspoken agreement clear: they were going in.
The inside of the observatory was dark and musty, the air thick with the scent of mildew and something metallic. Finn's flashlight revealed a trail of muddy footprints leading down a narrow hallway. Mia's stomach churned as they followed the trail, their footsteps echoing in the silence.
At the end of the hallway, they found a staircase leading underground. The air grew colder as they descended, the walls lined with rusted pipes and fluorescent lights. It smelt like rotting meat, the sound of machinery grew louder with each step, a low hum that set Mia's teeth on edge.
''What is this place?'' Finn muttered, his voice trembling.
Mia didn't answer. Her attention was fixed on the door at the bottom of the stairs. It was heavy metal, with a small window at eye level. She peered through it, her breath catching in her throat.
Inside was a laboratory, filled with strange equipment and glowing monitors. In the center of the room, strapped to a table, was Lily. Her eyes were closed, and her body covered by a sheet, but she was alive. Standing over her was a man in a lab coat, his back to the door. He was muttering to himself, his hands moving frantically over a control panel.
Mia's blood ran cold. ''Its him,'' she whispered. Dr. Flick.''
Dr. Flick Robert had been prominent scientist in the Willowbrook decades ago, but his career had ended in a scandal when his experiments were deemed unethical and dangerous. He had disappeared shortly after, presumed dead. But here he was, alive and clearly unhinged.
Finn clenched his fists. '' We have to get her out of there.''
Mia nodded, her mind racing. They needed a plan, but there was no time. Dr Flick was reaching for a syringe filled with a glowing green liquid, his hands shaking with excitement.
Before Mia could process her thoughts, a guttural roar echoed the lab. The ground shook as something massive emerged from the shadows. It was a grotesque creature, part human, part Machin, with glowing green eyes and jagged metal claws. Its face was eerily familiar- Mr. Brewer, their teacher, now twisted into a monstrous abomination.
''What...what is that?'' Mia whispered, her voice trembling. '' What do we do?'' Finn looked at her, and as soft as he could manage, he said '' run!''.