The following days in Blackwood Hollow were marked by frantic activity. The volunteers had doubled their efforts, scouring the surrounding forests for any signs of further corruption. Barricades were reinforced, and weapons were distributed in greater numbers. Yet despite all their preparation, there was an undeniable tension in the air, a sense that they were merely delaying the inevitable.
Elena and Liam stood atop the town's highest point, looking out over the valley below. The once serene landscape now felt like a battlefield, with every shadow seemingly concealing an enemy. The trees in the distance seemed to grow taller, their branches twisting in unnatural shapes as if they were stretching toward the town. It was as though the land itself had become an extension of the void.
"We've had no luck finding anything else," Liam said quietly, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "But I can't shake the feeling that it's all around us. Waiting."
