Horrific Shorts: Zombie Edition

The fog was endless. It clung to their skin like icy fingers, muffling sound, distorting movement. Something moved within it—always just out of reach, just beyond sight.

Draven led the way, his grip tight on his revolver. Mira stayed close, the cursed book pressed against her chest. Elias and Zara flanked their sides, their weapons drawn. They had escaped the Bone Fields, but whatever lay ahead felt just as dangerous.

Then, through the haze, a silhouette appeared.

A house.

It stood alone, its warped wooden walls breathing like something alive. A dim light flickered inside. The front door—ajar, waiting.

"This feels like a trap," Elias muttered.

"No arguments here," Zara whispered.

Draven exhaled. "But it's shelter. And right now, we need that."

With cautious steps, they approached the house. The wood groaned beneath their feet. The moment they stepped inside, the fog outside seemed to thicken—sealing them in.

The air felt wrong. The walls whispered—not with words, but with something deeper. Something hungry.

Mira shuddered. "This place… it's watching us."

Then, from the shadows, a voice.

"You shouldn't have come."

They turned—a girl sat in the farthest corner, wrapped in tattered cloth. Her eyes were hollow pits of darkness, her fingers smeared with ink.

"The Forsaken Girl," Elias breathed.

Mira felt her blood turn cold. They had heard of her. A child cursed to exist between life and death, a vessel for something ancient. Something the Hollow Man wanted.

The girl tilted her head. "The book you carry… it speaks to me."

Mira's grip tightened. The cursed book trembled in her hands. Pages flipped on their own, revealing symbols Mira didn't recognize.

The girl rose slowly, her body moving in a way that wasn't entirely human. Shadows pooled at her feet.

Draven raised his gun. "Stay back."

The Forsaken Girl smiled. "Why? Are you afraid of what I might say?"

The house shuddered. The walls shifted.

Mira gasped. The doorway was gone.

"We're trapped," Zara whispered.

The girl stepped closer, her voice softer now. "You came looking for answers, didn't you?" Her gaze landed on Mira. "You seek the truth behind the Hollow Man. Behind the curse."

Mira swallowed. "And you know it?"

The Forsaken Girl nodded. "But knowledge has a price."

Draven's jaw tightened. "And what's the cost?"

The girl's smile widened—too wide. The shadows around her grew deeper.

"Your nightmares," she whispered. "Give them to me."

The house lurched. The walls groaned, closing in. The air thickened with whispers.

Mira's breath came fast. Was this a deal they could afford to make?

Outside, the fog pressed closer.

And in the distance, something watched.