The morning air hung heavy, eerily still.
Lilith paused at the top of the chapel stairs. She clutched her coat. The wind tugged at her hair and rustled the trees around her. The windows were edged with frost, left like a cold kiss on the glass. It was as if something had pressed close to the chapel overnight, leaving a warning.
The pines stood far off. Their tops disappeared into thick fog. The fog wouldn't clear, even as the sky grew brighter. Lilith stared until her eyes burned, waiting. Something was coming.
She didn't know what it was. Not really.
But she felt it, watched from the shadow of the trees. It was beneath the snow-covered branches, hiding in the darkness. It clung to the woods like a secret.
The pull from the night before hadn't gone away. It was stronger now.
It was under her skin, in her throat and behind her eyes, humming like a memory.
Footsteps crunched the path behind her. Lilith flinched.
Lilith! Mae called out. Her voice cut through the cold. Mae was wearing a bright pink coat, her scarf flying behind her. You've been there for ages!
Sorry, I didn't notice, Lilith said.
You okay? Mae asked tilting her head. You look like you've seen a ghost.
Worse, Lilith thought. I think I saw something real.
She didn't say it.
She just smiled. She put her hands in her pockets and walked beside Mae toward the road. The road led into town. Their boots crunched on the frozen ground. The sound was sharp in the quiet.
Briar Glen wasn't lively even on a good day, but now it felt forgotten. The town seemed turned inward, protecting something. Smoke rose from chimneys into the gray sky. The streets were empty. The bakery wasn't baking cinnamon rolls that morning. The old bell from the store was gone. They said it was being fixed, but people thought they took it down for quiet.
People didn't meet like they used to. They nodded, smiled, and hurried away.The town was disappearing,So were its secrets.I heard weird news yesterday, Mae said. She lowered her voice, even though no one was close. Mrs. Grady told my mom the Thatchers found something… bad in their barn.
Lilith turned to her. Bad how?
Mae looked around. She tugged her scarf tighter. Their goats were torn apart. Like… gutted. Nothing was taken. Just… killed.
Lilith's stomach dropped.
They thought it was wolves, but the bodies weren't dragged. No tracks. Nothing. Then, she paused, old Caswell started talking. He said he saw something in the trees a few nights ago. Something standing on two feet.
Lilith stopped. Her blood turned cold.
Mae noticed.
I didn't scare you, did I? It's just talk. You know how he is probably drunk. Guess you just don't know. But then, my brother's dog won't go near the woods. He just whines at night.
Lilith tried to speak, but her mouth was dry.
Something about what Mae said wrapped around her.
Lilith knew it wasn't wolves.
She just knew.
School was like smoke. Lilith couldn't hold onto it. She sat through classes in a daze. The windows fogged early. She stared through them toward the woods at the end of the schoolyard.
The fog hadn't lifted.
It was thicker now.
Lilith turned in her seat, sure she felt eyes on her.
No one looked at her.
But her body didn't believe it.
Even in the hall, the feeling crawled up her neck. Her heart skipped. She dropped her book, picked it up, and froze.
Boots.
Just around the corner. Facing her.
She looked up.
It was him.
The man from the woods.
He wasn't hiding now. He was tall and dressed in black. He was thin and still, like a shadow wearing skin.
They looked into each other's eyes.
Not silver, but gray like a storm. Pale and wild.
Lilith stood up. Her breath was shallow.
He didn't speak.
He didn't move.
He just watched her.
Then students walked between them. When they were gone, so was he.
Lilith barely heard Mae the rest of the day.
Walking home felt different. The wind was sharp. The sky was dark, even though it was afternoon. The clouds pressed on the pines like they wanted to choke something.
She walked faster.
She still felt it.
The presence.
Not behind her.
Beside her.
Pacing.
Out of sight.
One time, she looked toward the woods. She saw gray eyes between the branches. No expression, just watching.
By the time she got to the chapel, her hands shook.
She slammed the door and leaned against it. Her chest rose and fell.
Father Gabriel looked up from his desk. A candle made his glasses shine.
You're late, he said.
Lilith didn't move.
I saw someone, she said. Not in the woods. At school. Watching me.
He stared at her. A student?
No. He wasn't from here. I'd know. He… she shook her head. I've seen him before.
He put down his pen. You're imagining things.
I'm not.
You're seeing things in the trees. Shadows in the snow.
No, she said. It's real. He's real. And the animals that died…
It's just nature, he said. Animals do what they do. It doesn't make them monsters.
She stepped forward. What are you scared I'll find?
He was quiet.
Then, You aren't your mother.
Lilith stopped breathing. Don't you dare…
She thought the woods had secrets, too. Look what happened to her.
He turned away.
The candle flickered.
Lilith stood alone. Her chest hurt.
That night, she sat at her window. She wrapped herself in blankets and stared into the woods.The fog was back.
Thicker now.From the dark, she heard a whisper.
Not in her ears.In her blood.A feeling brushed her mind.Not words.
Just knowing.
I'm still here.