Chapter 2: The Ledger of Shadows

In the basement of the town archives, behind a false wall that hadn’t been touched since the Civil War, Ellis found the ledger. Leather-bound, pages yellow as old teeth, every entry written in the same cramped hand. The first entry was dated December 22, 1814: Delivered to the Hollow as agreed. One soul in exchange for continued prosperity. The family names rotated—Marsh, Thorne, Blackwood, Vane. Ellis’s own ancestors. Two hundred and twelve entries. Two hundred and twelve names. Every one of them matched the solstice disappearances. The last entry, still wet with fresh ink, read: Allie Vane. The Hollow was not satisfied. It hungers again.