The town of Hollow Creek had always seemed ordinary to anyone passing through. White picket fences, sleepy streets, and the faint smell of pine drifting from the nearby forest. But to Mila, Arin, Lia, and Kian, it was never ordinary. Not since they were kids. Not since the summer rumors began.
It was the first week of July, the sun a blazing gold that made the creek shimmer like liquid glass. The four friends rode their bikes down the cracked sidewalks, laughing, joking, and daring one another to do small, reckless things—like jumping off the old stone bridge into the shallow creek below.
Mila led the way, her dark hair flying in the wind, her eyes sharp and alert. "Come on! The old mill is waiting," she called. She had heard whispers again—rumors of shadows seen moving near the abandoned building at night. Everyone in town avoided it, saying it was haunted, cursed, or worse.
Kian, as usual, scoffed. "Haunted? That place hasn't had a miller in decades. You probably imagined it." His grin was wide, but his fingers kept fidgeting on his handlebars. Even he felt the chill that seemed to cling to the town in the summer evenings.
Arin pedaled beside Mila, eyes scanning every tree, every shadow. "It's not imagination," he said softly. "Last night, I saw something… outside my window. Just for a second. But it wasn't human."
Lia rode last, clutching her backpack tightly. Her normally quiet demeanor was even quieter than usual. She hadn't slept well in days, dreaming of shadowy figures reaching for her from the forest. When Mila had dared her to come along, she couldn't say no. Not yet.
The path to the mill was overgrown, wildflowers brushing their legs, tall grass swaying like it had a life of its own. The mill loomed in the distance, dark and silent, with windows like hollow eyes staring at the kids. Broken boards rattled with every gust of wind. The air smelled faintly of wet wood and something… metallic.
Mila stopped at the edge of the clearing, her bike resting against a gnarled tree. "Do you hear that?" she whispered.
At first, there was nothing. Then—a faint murmur, like someone calling a name through the trees. Soft. Almost playful. Almost innocent.
"Kian?" Arin asked, frowning. "Did you call…?"
"No," Kian said quickly, scanning the forest. "No one called me."
Lia shivered, pulling her jacket tighter around her. "It's… nothing," she said, but her voice cracked. She knew better.
Mila took a deep breath. "Come on. Just a quick look inside. I want to see if there's… anything. Maybe just rats. Or old animals. Nothing else."
They crept toward the mill, bikes abandoned by the path. Every step seemed louder than the last, crunching on dry leaves and loose gravel. The wind whispered through broken boards, and shadows shifted as if alive.
Inside, the air was colder than it should have been. Dust floated in golden streaks through the sunlight that slipped in from holes in the roof. Wooden beams groaned, echoing through the emptiness. But that wasn't what made their stomachs twist.
It was the feeling. The sense that something was watching. Waiting. Hungry.
Then it moved. Just for a second. A shadow darted across the far corner of the room, too fast to be a rat. Mila's heart thumped. "Did you see that?" she breathed.
Arin nodded slowly, his face pale. "I… I did. Something's here. I know it."
Kian swallowed hard, trying to force a laugh. "It's just a shadow, guys. Calm down." But even he didn't believe it.
Lia's gaze fell to the floorboards. Something faintly etched into the wood caught her eye. Symbols? Words? She crouched, brushing away the dust.
"Look at this," she whispered. "It says… 'Fear feeds me.'"
Silence swallowed the room. Even the wind seemed to pause.
Mila swallowed. "What… what does that mean?"
"I don't know," Arin said, his voice shaking slightly. "But… we need to be careful. Really careful. Something doesn't want us here."
Outside, the creek glimmered in the sunlight. But now it felt different—like a warning. Shadows moved where none should be. And somewhere, beneath the laughing, buzzing warmth of summer, something was awake, something hungry, and it was watching them.