Beneath the Hollow Ground

The town’s cemetery stretched endlessly beneath the oppressive gray skies, the damp earth freshly turned. Rose stood at the edge of a newly unearthed grave, the nameplate tarnished but legible: Sarah Gates. Tom’s voice trembled behind her. "Why would someone dig this up now?" "Because the past... refuses to stay buried," Rose replied, fists clenched. Suddenly, the earth beneath their feet shifted, revealing a narrow tunnel spiraling downward. The whispers crescendoed into a deafening frenzy. "No... this can’t be real," Tom stammered. Rose didn’t hesitate. "We have to see," she said, descending into the darkness. The tunnel walls were cold and slick, pressing in as if the earth itself sought to suffocate them. Faint lights flickered ahead, revealing rows of cages barely large enough to hold human bodies, remnants of rusted chains dangling. At the tunnel’s end, a figure sat hunched, whispers swirling around like a crown of shadows. As she stepped forward, the figure lifted its head — revealing a face that was both horrifying and achingly familiar. "Why did you leave me?" it whispered. Rose staggered back, heart shattering. "Who are you?" "Your sister, Rose. And the nightmare you’re fighting... it’s only just begun." Behind her, the tunnel entrance collapsed with a thunderous roar. The Hollow Whispers had sealed their fate.