THE ROAD HOME

Ethan Carter stood on the rooftop of the old diner, scanning the tree line with wary eyes. The sun was dipping below the horizon, bleeding fiery red across the sky—a warning that night was coming. From below, Diane's voice called up. "You see anything?" "Same as always," Ethan muttered, shaking his head. "Just trees. No roads. No way out." For months, the survivors had searched for an escape from Black Hollow, a cursed town that seemed to exist outside of time. Every road they traveled led them in circles, and every night, horrific creatures emerged from the darkness, their faces twisted into eerie, human-like grins. They had tried everything—building barricades, scouting the forest, even digging under the town. But nothing worked. Nothing could break the cycle. Until now. Downstairs, Lillian had found something—a journal, hidden inside the ruins of an abandoned home. Its pages were old, the ink smudged, but the words sent a shiver through Ethan’s spine. > "The town has a weakness. A door beneath the lighthouse. It is the only way out… but the town will not let us leave so easily." Ethan had read the words over and over, his hands tightening around the brittle paper. It was the first real clue they had found in months. But if it was true, why hadn’t anyone escaped before? Because the town fought back. And tonight, they were going to find out just how hard.