The evening sun dipped behind the trees, casting long shadows across Avalon's cracked pathways. With the rest of the staff gone, the silence around the resort felt heavier like the building itself was holding its breath.
Karen sat by the window in her room, wrapped in a soft blanket. Her fingers traced the rim of the teacup Luca had brought her, though she hadn't taken a sip. The tea had long gone cold, but she hadn't noticed.
Her mind was still back at that cottage...those scratched-out faces, the map, the feeling that something ancient and wrong still watched from the trees.
A knock broke her thoughts.
Alex stepped in without waiting. He didn't speak right away, just stood there, looking at her like she might vanish again if he blinked too long.
"You should be resting," he said quietly.
Karen offered a ghost of a smile. "I've done enough resting for a lifetime. Can't sleep."
Alex walked over and sat beside her on the window seat. The sky outside was streaked in deep blues and purples, the stars just starting to show.
"I keep replaying it," Karen murmured, "Not all of it, just pieces.
The sound of the ground crunching behind me when I was taken. The way the air felt colder… thicker. I...I think someone drugged me."
Alex's jaw clenched but he didn't interrupt.
"I remember a voice," she added, brows furrowing. "A man. Calm..too calm.
He kept saying something about 'keeping the balance' and 'letting the land choose.' It didn't make sense, still doesn't."
Alex looked away, rubbing a hand over his face "I should've protected you."
"You did," she said "You found me."
A quiet moment passed between them, the kind that hummed with words left unspoken.
Downstairs, a distant creak echoed. Karen stiffened. "Did you hear that?"
Alex was already up, reaching for the small blade he kept tucked in his bag. "Stay here."
Karen grabbed his wrist before he could leave. "No. I'm not staying behind again."
Alex hesitated… then nodded.
They met Luca halfway down the hall, flashlight in hand.
"You heard it too?" he asked.
Alex gave a short nod. "Where did it come from?"
Luca pointed toward the old library near the back of the main lodge. "Sounded like it."
They moved silently, shoes soft against the floorboards. The deeper they went, the colder the air seemed to become. Karen felt goosebumps rise along her arms despite the warm night.
The door to the library stood ajar.
Alex pushed it open slowly.
Nothing.
Only the scent of old paper and dust.
But then—'thud'
A book dropped from the top shelf on the far end of the room.
Karen flinched.
Alex moved forward, scanning the shelves. Luca joined him, lifting the book.
It wasn't just any book it was the resort's original guest logbook. Dated over two decades ago.
He opened it slowly. Pages and pages of names. Then… an entire section ripped out, jagged edges, and below it, one last entry written in dark red ink.
> "The offering was taken. The land remains satisfied for now."
Karen's breath caught. "That handwriting…"
She reached out with trembling fingers. "It's the same as the one on that card. The one I found in my room the day before I disappeared."
Alex closed the book gently. "We're not just dealing with a person. This feels bigger, like a ritual, or a curse."
A soft wind blew through the room, though the windows were all shut.
Luca's voice was barely above a whisper. "Tomorrow, we go to the cellar."
Karen nodded, her voice quiet. "If the land wants answers, we'll give it a reason to fear the ones asking."