Ikenna stood in front of his small apartment mirror, his fingers gripping the edges of the letter. The more he stared at the words, the more his heart thudded in his chest. Ember Hollow. The name repeated in his mind, a rhythmic echo that felt like a warning. But there was something more. A strange feeling, like being pulled toward a place he didn't recognize, yet somehow knew too well.
The train station was crowded, the usual bustle of commuters, but to Ikenna, it all felt far away. He could see the others, their faces blank with the same confusion. Had they also received the letters? Was he the only one who felt the weight of it? He didn't know. All he knew was that when the invitation had arrived, something in him had clicked, like a door opening to a room he'd been trying to avoid for years.
He stepped onto the train bound for Plateau State. The weather was gray, clouds threatening rain. The air felt oppressive, like the land was holding its breath. Ikenna couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him, waiting.
---
In Lagos, Maya had torn her letter into pieces. There was no way she was going. Not after the years of nightmares, not after what she had seen in her sleep. The fire, the shadows, the children with their hollow eyes—they were all linked to Ember Hollow. She was sure of it.
But still, the phone calls continued. Late at night. A whispering voice, soft but clear, "Maya... we know what you did."
The last time she'd heard it, she had screamed until her throat bled, but nothing had changed. No matter how many times she blocked the number, no matter how many times she threw her phone into the ocean, the calls came. The invitation wouldn't let her go. She was being dragged toward it.
Her apartment was suffocating. She packed a bag in a haze, unable to think clearly. If she didn't go, would they find her? Would they take her again? The air felt thick with a presence that clawed at her, gnawing at her nerves.
---
In Jos, Pastor Samuel stood before the altar in the dim church, staring at the letter on the stone podium. His hands shook, the white skin of his knuckles pressed tight against the paper.
He had tried to deny it. He had buried the town's name deep within the recesses of his mind, where the memories of his sins were locked away. But they couldn't be hidden forever. The fire. The bodies. The screams. He had told himself it was all a test of faith, that God had guided him away from the past. Yet here it was, calling him back to Ember Hollow.
Samuel closed his eyes, the words of the letter burning through his mind.
"You are hereby summoned to claim your rightful inheritance."
An inheritance? What did that even mean? He wasn't part of some wealthy family. He wasn't a man of riches. He was a man of faith—yet this... this felt like a summons to something much darker than he had ever faced. He knew he couldn't ignore it. Not when the voices had started again.
He had to go. But he wasn't sure what awaited him.
---
The train rumbled onward, passing through small towns and thick forests, the light dimming as evening set in. Ikenna stared out of the window, his breath fogging up the glass. There was nothing but endless, barren land in front of him. No other passengers spoke. It was as if the train itself had become a ghost.
The first thing Ikenna noticed when the train pulled into the station in Plateau State was how silent it was. Not the usual clamor of people hurrying about, but a heavy, suffocating stillness. The platform was almost empty, save for a lone figure standing in the shadows, his face hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat.
"Looking for something?" the man asked, his voice thick with suspicion.
Ikenna blinked, unsure of how to respond. "I'm here for... Ember Hollow."
The man chuckled low, like the sound of gravel scraping against stone. "You've made it, then." He took a step back, revealing a small, dilapidated bus parked at the edge of the platform. "The town's waiting for you."
Ikenna swallowed, a sense of dread creeping up his spine. He was close now. Too close.
---
Maya arrived the next morning, the journey having left her numb. Her hands trembled as she gripped her suitcase, stepping off the bus that had dropped her at a cracked and forgotten corner of Ember Hollow. The air was thick with dust and the scent of decayed wood. The silence felt wrong.
It wasn't the silence of an empty town—it was the silence of something waiting, something alive.
And as Maya took her first step into Ember Hollow, she felt it.
The town was alive.