The Hollow eyes

Chapter - 1 Eva sat in the creaking chair of her new, dimly-lit apartment, staring out the window into the eerie stillness of the town below. Her heart raced as she glanced at the clock—3:33 a.m. It had been two months since she left the city, hoping to escape the suffocating weight of her past. Her mother’s death had been... strange. No one had ever believed her when she told them how her mother’s eyes had gone black, moments before she collapsed. Shaking her head, she tried to dispel the lingering thoughts. "It’s all in my head," she muttered, clutching the sides of the chair. But something about this town felt wrong—like it had been waiting for her. The first time Eva saw them, she thought it was exhaustion playing tricks. Standing in the shadows of the alleyway across the street were three figures, their silhouettes almost human. But their eyes… hollow, black pits, empty and staring right at her. She blinked. The figures were gone. The next morning, the town seemed normal. People moved slowly, with dull, lifeless expressions. No one spoke to her, and those that did avoided eye contact. The postman barely looked up as he handed her a letter, his face unusually pale. “You’ll want to leave,” he muttered before walking away without another word. By nightfall, the oppressive weight in the air had returned. Eva closed her windows tight, but the scratching sound outside grew louder, more insistent. She dared a glance through the blinds and froze. There they were again—the hollow-eyed figures, closer this time, pressed against her window, their empty stares boring into her. “Why me?” she whispered, backing away as her mind raced with childhood memories—memories of her mother telling her stories about "the Hollow Ones." Creatures that fed on fear, slowly draining their victims until there was nothing left but a shell. It couldn’t be real. But it was. The next few nights, the visits became more frequent. The Hollow Ones were no longer content to stand at the window; they were inside. Eva would hear them shuffling, their breath rasping like sandpaper against her walls. Shadows shifted unnaturally, and the temperature in her room plummeted as they drew closer. Every night, their numbers grew. Desperation clawed at her mind. She couldn’t leave. The town was deserted now, the people gone or taken. The postman’s words echoed in her head. Leave. But Eva knew it was too late. She had been marked from the beginning. Her mother’s warnings, the blackened eyes in her final moments—it had all been connected. The Hollow Ones had found her then, and now they were coming to finish what they’d started. That night, Eva didn’t run. She couldn’t. The figures surrounded her, their hollow eyes filling her vision, sucking the light from the room. A cold hand brushed her shoulder, and she felt the darkness flood her mind, pulling her deeper into the void. The last thing she heard before the world went black was their whisper—You belong to us now. Epilogue: Weeks later, a new tenant moved into the apartment. She glanced curiously at the strange marks on the walls, deep grooves as if something had been dragged across the floor. In the corner, a faint whisper echoed. She shook her head, laughing nervously. Must be the wind, she thought, as she settled in for the night.But outside, three figures stood in the alley, their hollow eyes waiting patiently for the next victim.