Voices in the fog

Chapter 1: Whispers at Dusk The fog rolled in early that evening, curling like smoke through the crooked trees that lined the edge of Elmswood. A hush fell over the town as streetlights flickered, dimmed, then died. No one spoke of it, but everyone felt it the shift in the air, the weight pressing down like a held breath. Elira stood at her window, eyes fixed on the forest beyond. It was always the same fog, silence, and then the whispers. Soft, like breath against glass, they came just after sunset. Some said it was the wind. Others knew better. Tonight, the voices came earlier. "Come closer," they whispered, threading through the mist like invisible fingers. Her heart pounded, but her feet moved on their own toward the door, down the steps, and into the cold. The fog swallowed her whole. Leaves crunched beneath her as she stepped into the woods, drawn by a voice that seemed to echo from inside her head. It wasn’t calling for help it was inviting her in.A low hum began to vibrate in the air around her. She paused. The town lay silent behind her. Ahead, the fog thickened. Then the forest answered back.