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The Vanishing Hour Chapter 2

Written by: Aidan | Published on: 09 September, 2024

As the clock struck 2:05 AM, a cold, oppressive silence fell over the town. Margret and Daniel held their breath, peering through the darkness that now engulfed the streets. For sixty seconds, the world outside was consumed by an unnatural stillness, broken only by the faint sound of whispers—a chorus of lost voices echoing through the night."


"Do you see that?" Margret whispered, her voice trembling. In the distance, the shadow they had noticed earlier was now unmistakably closer, moving with a slow, deliberate pace. It was not human, yet it carried an eerie semblance to one—a tall, distorted figure with elongated limbs, its form shifting and flickering as if made of smoke.

The shadow moved closer, its presence thickening the air with a sense of dread. Margret's heart pounded in her chest as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. This was no mere trick of the light. The shadow seemed to be searching, seeking something—or someone.

"We need to move back," Daniel urged, pulling Margret away from the window. His voice was hushed, but the fear in his eyes was clear. But Margret was frozen in place, unable to tear her gaze away from the window. The shadow was now right outside the inn, its form brushing against the glass as it passed by, leaving a trail of frost in its wake.

"Margret, now!" Daniel whispered more urgently, snapping her out of her trance. The two of them backed away from the window just as the clock ticked closer to 2:06. The Vanishing Hour was almost over, but the terror was only beginning.

Suddenly, a loud creak echoed through the room—the sound of the front door of the inn slowly opening on its own. Margret and Daniel spun around, their hearts racing. The door stood ajar, revealing nothing but darkness beyond it.

With trembling hands, Daniel reached for the door to close it, but as he approached, a blast of cold air rushed into the room, carrying with it the faintest hint of a whisper: 'You shouldn't have stayed...'

The clock struck 2:06 AM, and just as suddenly as it had appeared, the shadow vanished, leaving the town in eerie silence once more. But something was different. The air was heavy with an unnatural chill, and the sense of unease lingered. Margret and Daniel knew that whatever they had witnessed was not over. The Vanishing Hour had left its mark on them, and the town was hiding far more than they could have ever imagined.

"We have to find out what that was," Margret insisted, her voice shaking but resolute. Daniel nodded, though the fear in his eyes remained. They knew they couldn’t leave—not yet. The answers they sought were hidden somewhere in the town, buried deep within the shadows and the whispers.

As they ventured deeper into the heart of the town, the secrets of the Vanishing Hour began to unravel. But with each step they took, the shadows grew darker, and the whispers more sinister. What was this town hiding? And more importantly, what was it planning for Margret and Daniel?

The clock may have struck 2:06 AM, but for Margret and Daniel, the true terror was only just beginning.