Elias Thorn had always lived among the dead. By day, he tended to the sprawling cemetery on the outskirts of Hollowshade, shoveling dirt and carving names into tombstones. By night, he sat on the crooked bench outside his shed, staring at the endless sea of graves.


    Hollowshade was a place of quiet dread, a town where secrets seemed to grow as plentiful as the briars. The townsfolk rarely visited the cemetery unless compelled by grief, and Elias preferred it that way. The dead, after all, were better company than the living.


    But tonight was different.


    The wind was colder than usual, whispering through the trees like a long-forgotten lament. Elias leaned on his shovel, his muscles aching from another day of digging. He was preparing a fresh grave for a man he had never met—an old fisherman who had drowned in the river. The town said his name was Abel Carter, a man of few words and many sins.


    As Elias struck the earth one final time, a strange sound pierced the silence. It wasn’t the rustle of leaves or the creak of the iron gate. It was a voice, low and hoarse, like the scrape of bone on stone.


    “Thorn...”This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    Elias froze. His name echoed through the darkness, spoken by a voice that wasn’t his own. He turned, his grip tightening on the shovel. The cemetery was empty, save for the rows of tombstones glinting under the pale moonlight.


    “Who’s there?” he called, his voice steady despite the unease creeping into his chest.


    Silence answered him.


    He shook his head, muttering under his breath. “Too much work, not enough sleep.”


    But as he bent down to gather his tools, the voice returned, closer this time.


    “Elias Thorn… hear me.”


    His breath caught. The words didn’t come from the wind they came from beneath the ground.


    Heart pounding, Elias dropped to his knees, pressing his ear to the freshly dug soil. The voice was faint but unmistakable, rising from the earth like a dark tide.


    “Tell them… they must know the truth…”


    “Who are you?” Elias whispered, his mouth dry.


    “I was Abel Carter… and I was murdered.”


    The revelation hit Elias like a blow to the chest. He had heard the whispers of the dead before rumors whispered among the superstitious townsfolk but he had never believed them. Now, with the voice of a dead man speaking directly to him, disbelief was no longer an option.


    “Why are you telling me this?” Elias asked, his voice barely audible.


    “Because you… are one of us now.”


    Before Elias could respond, the ground beneath him trembled. A chill seeped into his bones, and the voice fell silent, leaving only the rustle of the wind and the pounding of his heart.


    Elias staggered to his feet, his mind racing. The dead didn’t speak without reason. If Abel Carter had been murdered, someone in Hollowshade was hiding a dark secret and now it was up to Elias to uncover the truth.


    But as he turned to leave, a flicker of movement caught his eye. A shadow shifted among the graves, its form indistinct but watching him with an intensity that sent a shiver down his spine.


    Elias Thorn had spent his life among the dead, but for the first time, he realized he wasn’t alone.