The sky was dimming, the air cooling as the crowd dispersed from the grave.
Monte walked beside Sara, his hand hovering near hers. She looked pale, withdrawn. Maybe from exhaustion.
He was about to offer to walk her home when Nathan appeared, his face tight with anger.
"There you are." His hand clamped on Sara's arm. "We're going home."
Sara froze but didn't argue. She gave Monte an apologetic glance, then let Nathan lead her away without another word.
Monte watched them go, jaw tightening, then exhaled slowly. "Guess that's my cue."
He turned to head back toward the sheriff's station, but Boyd's voice called out from behind him.
"Monte! Got a minute?"
Monte nodded and fell into step beside him as they walked down the dirt road together. The town was quiet now, the last stragglers from the funeral heading home.
Behind them, near the church, Kenny was awkwardly trying to talk to Kristi, stammering over his words.
Jade, still lingering nearby, snorted in amusement, shaking his head. "Jesus. I'm gonna have to give that guy some lessons."
Boyd didn't seem to notice. His mind was elsewhere.
They reached the sheriff's station, the low light flickering through the windows.
Boyd finally spoke. "I wanted to talk to you privately."
Monte raised a brow. "About?"
Boyd glanced at him. "About you. About helping me keep this town in one piece."
Monte smirked. "You offering me a job, Sheriff?"
Boyd didn't smile. "I'm offering you a chance to make yourself useful. I need someone who doesn't freeze when things get ugly. You proved in myltiple occasions that you've got guts… and good aim."
Monte shrugged modestly. "And a winning personality."
Boyd ignored that. "Call it what you want. I could use another deputy."
Monte thought about it for all of two seconds before nodding. "Sure. Why not. Beats sitting around waiting for something to eat me."
Boyd let out a short laugh. "That's the spirit."
Monte leaned back against a desk. "There's something else. I've been thinking of heading out into the forest soon. See what's out there. Every time I'm near the treeline, I feel like something's watching me."
Boyd frowned deeply. "That's not something you feel, Monte. That's something that's real. And whatever's out there... it's not friendly."
Monte gave him a half-grin. "Only one way to find out."
Boyd sighed. "You've got that look in your eye again. Just don't do anything stupid."
Monte chuckled. "No promises."
He pushed off the desk, ready to head to his cot, but Boyd stopped him.
"One more thing," Boyd said. "About Sara."
Monte turned, eyebrow raised. "What about her?"
Boyd crossed his arms. "She's been through hell. Don't play with her feelings. I know your type, Monte the Heartbreaker."
Monte smirked faintly. "I try not to make a habit of breaking hearts, Sheriff. But when you look this good..."
Boyd waved him off, shaking his head as he reached for the door. "Save it for someone who buys that line."
Monte laughed quietly to himself as Boyd stepped outside and began ringing the curfew bell.
The sound echoed across the quiet streets of the town, a haunting reminder that night was coming, and with it, the monsters.
...
Julie, Fatima, and Ellis made their way back up the hill, the grass whispering underfoot. The air carried the faint toll of the curfew bell from below.
Julie's thoughts were elsewhere.
Back on Monte, his easy smile, the way Sara stood close beside him.
Fatima nudged her shoulder, breaking the silence. "You like him, don't you?"
Julie feigned ignorance, "Who?"
Fatima rolled her eyes playfully, "Monte."
Julie hesitated before nodding. "Yeah."
Ellis made a face. "That dude's bad news."
Julie snapped, "He's not!"
Fatima lifted her hands. "Relax. I think he's a nice guy."
Julie softened. "Yeah. He even took Ethan out for dinner earlier."
Ellis's eyebrows rose. "Really? Huh. I pegged him for a total douche. He walks like a gangster."
Fatima smacked his arm. "Don't say that. You don't even know him."
Julie bit her lip. "He was a gangster. Part of the mob."
Ellis blinked. "No shit."
Fatima grinned, bumping Julie's shoulder. "I guess I know your type now... bad boys."
Julie flushed, stammering, "No, I..."
Fatima laughed, hugging her side. "Relax, I'm teasing. He's not bad-looking, though."
Ellis groaned. "Can we not?"
Julie smiled faintly. "His new scar actually makes him look even better."
Ellis sighed. "It does look pretty cool."
Fatima laughed again, looping her arm through Julie's as the three of them climbed the hill toward Colony House, the last traces of sunlight fading behind them.
By the time they reached Colony House, the sun had slipped completely below the horizon.
The usual chaos had quieted, now the laughter, chatter, and music replaced by soft voices and footsteps creaking along the old wooden floors.
She climbed the stairs toward the bathroom, lost in her thoughts.
Every time she blinked, she saw Monte standing beside Sara at the funeral. Their hands brushing against each other every now and then.
It made something twist painfully in her chest.
Julie pushed the door open and froze.
Kevin was inside, hunched over the sink. His head was down, his shoulders trembling. One hand clutched his forearm, blood seeping between his fingers.
"Hey," Julie said gently. "Are you okay?"
Kevin didn't answer at first. His breathing was ragged.
Then, as if a switch had flipped, the pain drained from his expression. His face went oddly still, almost blank.
"I'm fine," he said flatly. "Just... cut myself on something."
Julie frowned. "You sure? You don't look fine."
He forced a small, stiff smile. "I'll live."
Julie said, "Let me take a look."
Kevin insisted, "I'm fine." Then, before Julie could press further, he stepped past her and hurried into the hallway. His footsteps wete quick and uneven, almost panicked.
Julie lingered for a moment, staring at the blood in the sink, then sighed and shut the door behind her.
Sitting down to relieve herself.
...
Kevin's pulse pounded in his ears as he rushed into one of the many small rooms. The moment the door closed, he rolled his sleeve back up.
The wound hadn't stopped bleeding, pain still burned across his arm. He didn't know what had happened.
He had been shaving when suddenly he was compelled to carve a message into his flesh. He looked down once more.
KILL MONTE.
His breath hitched. "What the hell…?"
Then he heard it...
A faint whisper, not outside, but inside his mind.
Kill him.
He staggered back, clutching his head. "Who... Who are you? Who is Monte?"
"You'll know him soon." And then the voice was gone, leaving silence so deep it hurt.
Kevin exhaled shakily and grabbed a rag to staunch the bleeding. Then he stumbled toward the stairs, desperate for air.
He stepped outside just long enough to snatch a handful of tiny yellow flowers growing along the bottom of the railing before the darkness fully claimed the sky.
He hurried back in, closing and locking the door behind him.
Upstairs, he placed the flowers neatly on the windowsill outside. The faint light from the sunset caused their petals to almost glow.
The sight calmed him, even if he didn't understand why.
He waited in silence, as the house soon quieted as the residents retired for the night.
...
The house was quiet, save for the soft creak of the floorboards and the occasional whisper of wind pressing against the nailed-shut windows.
Jim had sealed every one of them the night before, the thick nails hammered into wooden frames.
He checked them all, it was a ritual that had become second nature since he first sealed them.
It gave him and Tabitha a sliver of comfort, even if they both knew comfort here was temporary.
Down the hall, faint laughter echoed from Miranda's room. Meghan's giggles mixed in, bright and innocent, the sound cutting through the silence like sunlight through fog.
Jim smiled faintly as he carried a yawning Ethan into the bedroom.
The little boy's head rested on his father's shoulder, his small hands clutching his stuffed rabit, Super Bunny.
Jim set him gently on the bed. "Alright, little man," he murmured, "time for bed."
Tabitha sat at Ethan's bedside, brushing his hair back before tucking the blanket snugly under his chin. She pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.
Ethan blinked sleepily, his voice small. "Is Julie ever coming back?"
Tabitha paused, her hand still resting on his chest.
"She's only just up the hill," she said gently. "You can visit her whenever you want."
Ethan frowned, eyes glassy. "I miss her."
"I know, sweetheart," Tabitha said softly. "She misses you too."
Jim added, "That's right. She's just figuring things out. But she'll come visit soon, I promise."
Ethan's brow furrowed. "Is she mad at me?"
Tabitha shook her head immediately. "Why would you say that?"
Ethan shrugged, his voice barely a whisper. "She didn't say goodbye."
Tabitha's heart ached. She took his hand and squeezed it gently. "She loves you, Ethan. More than anything."
Ethan nodded, but his little face still looked uncertain.
Jim tried to lighten the air. "Alright," he said, reaching over to the small dresser by the bed, "how about a story before lights out?"
Ethan's eyes brightened just a little. "Okay."
Jim sat down on the edge of the bed, the old book opening in his hands with a faint crackle of worn pages.
Tabitha climbed onto the bed beside Ethan, wrapping her arm around him as he snuggled closer. Warm and safe in the circle of her arms.
Jim cleared his throat dramatically, his voice shifting into an exaggerated tone.
"Once upon a time, there was a brave little explorer who went searching for a light that could chase away the monsters in the dark…"
Ethan giggled softly, the sound sleepy but pure.
Tabitha smiled, resting her chin atop his head as Jim continued.
Outside, the night was still. The only movement a shadow gliding just beyond the window.
But the nails were in place, and no laughter came. Not tonight.
Inside the room, the story went on. A father's voice filling the silence, a mother's hand smoothing her son's hair, a child slowly drifting to sleep.
And for a few fragile minutes, it almost felt like a normal night.
...
By midnight, most of Colony House had quieted into uneasy sleep. Some murmured in dreams; others whispered and laughed behind closed doors.
Kevin sat by his window, waiting. His eyes burned from exhaustion, but he couldn't stop staring into the dark.
And then, right on schedule... she came.
Jasmine appeared beyond the glass, pale against the shadows. Her face was beautiful in a way that didn't make sense.
Skin too smooth, nose too perfect, her smile soft instead of wide and unnatural.
Her voice drifted through the window like music. "You're still awake."
Kevin's heart stuttered. "You came back."
"I told you I would." She tilted her head slightly, her voice tender. "Did you miss me?"
"Every second," he whispered.
"Then why are you so sad, love?"
Kevin swallowed. "I don't know what's happening to me. The voices. The pain. It won't stop."
She lifted a hand, placing it against the window. "Shh. Don't think about that. Think about me."
His hand rose automatically, palm against hers through the glass.
"You love me, don't you?" she asked.
Kevin nodded instantly. "Of course I do."
Her eyes softened... though, for a moment, they gleamed darkly. "Then do something for me."
He leaned forward. "Anything."
Her voice lowered to a whisper. "Kill Monte."
Kevin froze. "What…? How do you know about him?"
Her smile never wavered. "He said terrible things to me. He doesn't understand us. You love me, don't you?"
"Of course," Kevin said again, dazed. "But..."
"Then prove it to me," she said gently. "He hurt me..."
Kevin's face hardened. "He hurt you?"
She nodded slowly, eyes glistening with feigned sadness. "Promise me you'll kill him."
Kevin's jaw clenched. "I promise."
The creature smiled, a smile so soft it almost seemed human. She leaned forward, pressing her lips against the glass. "Good boy."
Kevin mirrored her, closing his eyes as his breath fogged the window.
He didn't see the change... the brief, twisted grin, the black void where her eyes should have been.
When he opened his eyes again, she looked normal. Radiant beauty, expression full of kindness.
"I wish I could touch you," he whispered.
"You can," she murmured. "Just open the window.."
Kevin nodded. "Soon. I promise."
The woman smiled and waved before turning, disappearing into the night.
Kevin locked the window again, still whispering to himself, voice trembling with devotion.
"I'll do it. I'll do it for you."
Outside, the yellow flowers wilted, their petals turning the color of ash.
...
Sunlight spilled across the wide windows of Colony House, the warm glow doing little to soften the chill that always seemed to hang in the air.
The residents were stirring. Women cooking, others tending to their own chores. Just trying to pretend, just for a few hours, that this place was normal.
Julie sat at the long dining table, still rubbing sleep from her eyes. She hadn't slept well last night.
The faint memory of Kevin in the bathroom, the look on his face kept replaying in her mind.
Across from her, Fatima set down two cups of coffee and sat beside her, brushing her hair back with a smile.
"Morning," Fatima said gently. "You look like you didn't sleep much."
Julie sighed. "Didn't."
Fatima tilted her head. "You still thinking about Monte?"
Julie hesitated. "No, it's… Kevin. Last night, he was acting really weird. I saw him in the bathroom. He looked like he was hurt, but then he just... snapped out of it. Like nothing happened."
Fatima frowned faintly but didn't look worried. "Kevin's had a rough couple weeks. Sometimes people here get… overwhelmed. It's easy to lose it a little, you know?"
Julie looked down at her coffee. "Yeah. I guess."
Fatima gave her arm a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry too much. He's probably fine."
Julie nodded slowly, but her gut said otherwise.
There was something about the look in Kevin's eyes. That blank and distant gaze that didn't feel like simple stress.
Still, she forced a smile and thanked Fatima for the coffee.
They chatted for a bit about chores and the greenhouse, but Julie's mind kept drifting back to that flicker of unease.
She didn't know it yet, but Kevin's door upstairs was locked and behind it, that yellow flower sat shriveled on his windowsill.