Veil of Shadows Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Unspoken Truths

Emma, Jack, and Mia sat in the cold, dimly lit interrogation room. The tension in the air was palpable as Detective Harper studied them. Each of them had been at the scene of the murder, but none could explain what they saw—or didn’t see.

Jack was the first to speak, his voice hoarse. “We already told you everything. We don’t know what happened. One minute, he was there, and then…” Jack trailed off, his hand trembling as he rubbed his temples.

Detective Harper leaned forward, his eyes sharp. “And then what? People don’t just vanish, Jack.”

Emma, sitting beside him, crossed her arms defensively. “We all saw it,” she said quietly. “It wasn’t… human.”

Mia flinched at Emma’s words, her pale face ghostly in the dim light. She hadn’t spoken much since the incident. Her hands twisted together, and her gaze remained fixed on the table.

The officer exchanged a glance with his partner. “Not human? Is that what you’re going with now? A ghost? A monster?”

Jack slammed his fist on the table. “We’re not lying! I know what it sounds like, but there was something out there. Something that killed him.”

Detective Harper sighed, leaning back. "You expect me to believe a fairy tale?" His skepticism hung heavy in the room.

But none of them knew the full truth not even Mia, who remained silent about the terrifying secret that her father was not who he appeared to be.

Chapter 2: Shadows Beneath the Surface:

The air inside the interrogation room grew heavier with every passing second, as if the weight of unsaid truths was pressing down on them. Detective Harper’s gaze flicked to Mia, who hadn’t uttered a word since Jack’s outburst. Her silence was unsettling. Something was off—he could feel it in his gut, though he couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

"You know, Mia," Detective Harper began, his voice cold and calculating, "you’ve been awfully quiet. What do you know that you're not telling us?"

Mia stiffened but didn’t look up. Her eyes remained fixed on the table, her fingers clenched tightly. Jack noticed the change in her demeanor, the way her body seemed to shrink into itself, as if trying to hide from something only she could see.

Emma shifted uncomfortably beside Jack. She glanced at Mia before meeting the detective’s gaze. “She’s just… she’s scared. It’s hard to talk about. But she’s been through a lot.” Emma's voice wavered, but there was a new resolve behind her words.

Detective Harper leaned forward again, his sharp eyes narrowing. “I don’t have time for this. We’re trying to find out who killed your friend, not dance around a ghost story.

The tension in the room thickened. Mia’s breathing was shallow, and Jack, looking at her, felt an unfamiliar unease growing in his chest. He had no idea what Mia was hiding, but he knew that something was eating at her—something dark, something that none of them could explain.

Mia’s hand shot out, trembling, as she slammed it down on the table. Her voice was barely a whisper, but it cut through the silence like a knife. “It wasn’t just anyone who died. It was my father.”

The room seemed to freeze. Detective Harper blinked, taken aback by her sudden declaration. Emma and Jack exchanged confused glances.

“Your father?” Jack echoed, his voice shaky. “What do you mean? Mia, your dad—he’s the one who—?”

Mia nodded, her lips trembling. “He wasn’t just any man. And what killed him... what killed him wasn’t human.”

The words hung in the air like a curse. The detective stood, pacing the room, his mind racing. This was no longer a simple case. If Mia’s father was involved in this somehow, then they were dealing with something much darker than anyone had anticipated.

Harper stopped in front of the window, peering out through the blinds. The night had settled in, and the storm outside raged on, adding to the oppressive atmosphere. “So, what, Mia? You’re telling me your father was mixed up in some kind of… supernatural business?”

Mia didn’t answer right away. Her gaze remained unfocused, as if she was seeing something far beyond the walls of the room.

“He was more than just a man,” she murmured. “My father was a part of something—something that shouldn’t have existed. And now…” She swallowed hard, her voice breaking. “Now it’s coming for all of us.”

Jack looked to Emma for some kind of reassurance, but Emma only shook her head. She didn’t know what to say either. They had all seen something in the woods that night—a shape, an entity that shouldn’t have been. But to hear Mia say it, to hear her speak of it so freely, sent a chill down Jack’s spine.

Harper’s patience was running thin. “What are you talking about, Mia? What the hell happened to your father?

Mia looked up, her face pale and tear-streaked. “My dad wasn’t just a regular man. He was a keeper of secrets. He was... part of a group that was supposed to protect us from something ancient. But he broke his vows. He opened something... something that should have remained sealed.”

The room grew colder, the lights flickering overhead. Emma’s breath caught in her throat. She could feel it too. The shift. The air growing heavier, darker.

Mia slowly rose from her chair, her eyes wide and distant. “It’s too late. It’s already started. We’re not safe anymore. None of us are.”

Harper stepped back, his demeanor now changing. The skepticism was gone, replaced with a growing sense of dread. “What are you saying, Mia? What’s coming for us?”

But Mia didn’t answer. Her eyes flicked to the door, her body trembling. She took a step back, as if trying to distance herself from something that was too close—something in the room, something not quite visible but still there, waiting.

Suddenly, the lights flickered again, and for the briefest moment, the shadows in the room seemed to stretch, warping and twisting unnaturally. The cold air grew even more biting, and Mia’s breath caught in her throat as she backed into the corner.

The detective’s voice was strained, his patience slipping away. “Mia! What’s going on?”

But Mia was no longer listening. Her eyes were fixed on something just beyond him, something he couldn’t see. Her lips parted in a silent scream as the shadows moved—slithering across the floor, as if drawn to her.

Emma and Jack turned to look at the same spot Mia was staring at, but there was nothing there. Nothing except darkness.

Then, the lights went out.