**Prologue**
The night was still, save for the wind that howled through the trees surrounding Grayson Manor. The moon, veiled by clouds, cast an eerie glow over the crumbling Victorian house on the hill. Shadows danced across the walls as if alive, whispering secrets long forgotten by the world beyond.
Inside, Luke Grayson sat in the darkness of the hidden basement, knees drawn to his chest. His breath was shallow, each exhale forming small clouds in the frigid air. The ritual had begun hours ago, and the heavy scent of blood lingered in the air, metallic and suffocating. He could still hear the chanting, the guttural words that scraped against his mind like nails on a chalkboard. His small hands trembled, clutching the pendant his sister, Evie, had given him. The silver was cool against his skin, the only comfort in the cold.
He wanted to call out to her, but the fear swallowed his voice. His father had told him to be brave, that this was for the family, for their legacy. But Luke knew better. He had seen the faces of the others—those who had come before him—and he had seen the darkness that lurked behind their eyes, the malevolent force that consumed them.
The Watcher in the Shadows was hungry, and tonight, Luke was its prey.
A cold breeze swept through the basement, extinguishing the last candle. The darkness swallowed him whole, and in that final moment, Luke’s last thought was of his sister. He hoped she would never return to this place. Not ever.
But some things can never be escaped.
YOU ARE READING
The Watcher in the Shadows
HorrorEvelyn Grayson thought she had left her troubled past behind when she moved away from her childhood home, the infamous Grayson Manor. But when she returns to the eerie Victorian house after strange reports of hauntings emerge, she's drawn back into...
