Chapter 1: The Call Sheet
The email arrived at 3:17 PM.
Elliot Cross, a freelance cinematographer, had been refreshing his inbox every fifteen minutes for the past two days. Work had been slow—too slow. His savings were dwindling, and the rent on his cramped Los Angeles apartment was due in a week. When the notification popped up, he nearly spilled his lukewarm coffee.
Subject: URGENT: Night Shoot – $5,000 for One Night
The sender was someone named Mara Voss. The email was brief, almost cryptic:
*Elliot,
We need a cinematographer for a night shoot. Experimental horror project. Remote location. One night only. $5,000 upon completion.
If interested, meet at the coordinates below at 8:00 PM sharp. Bring your gear. No crew, just you.
Don’t be late.
- Mara*
Attached was a set of GPS coordinates and a PDF call sheet with no production company logo, just a list of times and a single location: Blackwood Estate.
Elliot frowned. He’d never heard of Mara Voss, and the pay was suspiciously high for a one-night gig. But $5,000 was $5,000. He typed a quick reply:
I’m in. See you at 8.
Chapter 2: The Blackwood Estate
The coordinates led him to a desolate stretch of forest two hours outside the city. The road narrowed into a dirt path, and the trees grew denser, their gnarled branches clawing at the sky. Elliot’s headlights cut through the darkness, illuminating a rusted iron gate. Beyond it stood the Blackwood Estate.
The house was a crumbling Victorian monstrosity, its windows dark and its paint peeling. A wraparound porch sagged under the weight of time, and the roof was dotted with missing shingles. Elliot parked his van and stepped out, the chill night air biting at his skin.
“You must be Elliot.”
He turned to see a woman approaching from the shadows. She was tall and pale, with sharp features and jet-black hair tied into a severe bun. Her eyes were a piercing gray, and she wore a long black coat that billowed in the wind.
“Mara Voss?” he asked.
She nodded. “Glad you made it. Let’s get started.”
Elliot grabbed his gear from the van and followed her up the creaking steps to the front door. Inside, the house was even worse. The air was thick with the smell of mildew and decay. The walls were lined with faded wallpaper, and the floorboards groaned underfoot.
“What exactly are we shooting?” Elliot asked as he set up his camera.
Mara smiled faintly. “An experiment. A study of fear. I want to capture raw, unfiltered terror.”
Elliot raised an eyebrow. “And how do you plan to do that?”
“You’ll see.”
Chapter 3: The First Take
Mara led him to a large, dimly lit room on the second floor. The walls were bare, and a single chair sat in the center of the room. A man was tied to it, his head slumped forward.
Elliot froze. “What the hell is this?”
“Our subject,” Mara said calmly. “His name is Daniel. He’s an actor.”
Daniel lifted his head, his eyes wide with fear. “Please,” he whispered. “I don’t want to do this.”
Mara ignored him and turned to Elliot. “Start rolling.”
Elliot hesitated. This felt wrong. But the money…
He raised the camera and hit record.
Mara stepped into frame, her voice low and hypnotic. “Daniel, do you know why you’re here?”
Daniel shook his head, tears streaming down his face. “No. Please, just let me go.”
Mara leaned closer. “You’re here because you deserve to be. You’ve done terrible things, Daniel. And tonight, you’ll face the consequences.”
Elliot’s hands trembled as he kept the camera steady. This wasn’t acting. Daniel’s fear was real.
Suddenly, the lights flickered. The room grew colder, and a low hum filled the air. Elliot’s breath came out in visible puffs.
“What’s happening?” he asked, his voice shaking.
Mara didn’t answer. Her eyes were fixed on Daniel, who was now screaming, thrashing against the ropes.
“They’re here!” he shrieked. “They’re coming!”
The hum grew louder, morphing into a deafening roar. The camera in Elliot’s hands began to glitch, the screen filling with static.
And then, the shadows moved.
Chapter 4: The Shadows
Elliot dropped the camera and stumbled back. The shadows in the corners of the room were alive, writhing and stretching like ink spilled across water. They slithered toward Daniel, who was now begging for his life.
“Mara, stop this!” Elliot shouted.
But Mara only smiled. “This is what I wanted to capture. True fear.”
The shadows engulfed Daniel, his screams cut short as they consumed him. When they receded, the chair was empty.
Elliot’s heart pounded in his chest. “What the hell was that?”
Mara turned to him, her gray eyes gleaming. “The Blackwood Estate has a history. The people who lived here dabbled in things they shouldn’t have. They opened doors to places beyond our understanding. And now, those doors are open again.”
Elliot backed toward the door. “I’m out. I’m not doing this.”
Mara’s smile faded. “You don’t have a choice.”
The door slammed shut behind him.
Chapter 5: The Ritual
Elliot spun around, yanking at the doorknob. It didn’t budge.
“Let me out!” he shouted.
Mara stepped closer, her voice calm but menacing. “You signed up for this, Elliot. You wanted the money. Now you’re part of the project.”
“I didn’t sign up for… for whatever this is!”
“You’ll understand soon,” she said. “The shadows feed on fear. The more afraid you are, the stronger they become. And tonight, we’re going to give them a feast.”
Elliot’s mind raced. He had to get out of here. He grabbed his camera, the only weapon he had, and swung it at Mara.
She caught it effortlessly, her grip like iron. “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
The lights flickered again, and the hum returned. The shadows were back, creeping along the walls, closing in.
Elliot bolted for the window, smashing it with the camera. Cold air rushed in as he climbed onto the ledge.
“You can’t escape,” Mara called after him. “They’ll find you.”
He jumped.
Chapter 6: The Forest
Elliot landed hard on the ground below, pain shooting through his ankle. He limped into the forest, the trees closing in around him. The shadows followed, slithering through the underbrush.
He didn’t know where he was going, but he had to get away. The forest was a maze, every tree looking the same. The shadows were gaining on him, their whispers filling his ears.
You can’t run.
We’ll find you.
We’ll always find you.
Elliot’s breath came in ragged gasps. His ankle throbbed, and his vision blurred. He stumbled into a clearing, where a figure stood waiting.
It was Daniel.
But it wasn’t the Daniel from before. His eyes were black voids, and his skin was pale and cracked like porcelain. He smiled, revealing rows of jagged teeth.
“Join us,” he said, his voice echoing unnaturally.
Elliot turned to run, but the shadows were everywhere. They wrapped around him, cold and suffocating. He screamed, but no sound came out.
The last thing he saw was Mara, watching from the edge of the clearing, her gray eyes filled with satisfaction.
Chapter 7: The Feed
The camera lay abandoned in the forest, its lens cracked but still recording. The footage was grainy, distorted, but it captured everything.
The shadows.
The screams.
The feast.
Mara picked up the camera and reviewed the footage. It was perfect. Raw, unfiltered terror.
She smiled and walked back to the Blackwood Estate, where the shadows waited for their next meal.
Epilogue
A week later, another email arrived in an inbox.
Subject: URGENT: Night Shoot – $5,000 for One Night
The recipient hesitated, then clicked reply.
I’m in.
And the cycle began again.
Chapter 8: The New Recruit
The recipient of the email was a young woman named Claire Bennett, a sound engineer struggling to make ends meet in the competitive world of indie filmmaking. Like Elliot, she was desperate for work. The promise of $5,000 for a single night’s job was too good to pass up.
Claire arrived at the Blackwood Estate just before 8:00 PM. The iron gate creaked as she pushed it open, and the house loomed before her like a predator waiting to strike. She tightened her grip on her equipment bag and climbed the porch steps.
Mara Voss greeted her at the door, her gray eyes as cold and calculating as ever. “Claire, I presume?”
“Yeah,” Claire said, trying to hide her unease. “What’s this project about?”
Mara smiled faintly. “An exploration of fear. You’ll see soon enough. Come inside.”
Claire followed her into the house, her boots echoing on the rotting floorboards. The air was thick with the scent of decay, and the walls seemed to close in around her. She set up her sound equipment in the same room where Elliot had filmed Daniel’s demise, unaware of the horrors that had unfolded there just a week prior.
“Where’s the rest of the crew?” Claire asked, glancing around the empty room.
“It’s just us,” Mara said. “And our subject.”
She gestured to a figure sitting in the chair at the center of the room. It was a woman, her hands bound and her head bowed. She looked up as Claire approached, her eyes wide with terror.
“Please,” the woman whispered. “You have to help me.”
Claire froze. “What’s going on here?”
Mara stepped forward, her voice calm but commanding. “This is part of the project. We’re capturing genuine fear. Start recording.”
Claire hesitated. Something felt deeply wrong, but the money…
She adjusted her microphone and hit record.
Chapter 9: The Whispering Shadows
The room grew colder as Mara began to speak, her voice low and hypnotic. “Do you know why you’re here, Sarah?”
The woman in the chair—Sarah—shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “No. Please, let me go.”
Mara leaned closer. “You’re here because you’ve been chosen. The shadows have been waiting for you.”
Claire’s hands trembled as she adjusted the sound levels. The audio was picking up something strange—a low hum, almost like a voice, but too distorted to make out.
The lights flickered, and the hum grew louder. Claire’s breath came out in visible puffs, and the air felt heavy, oppressive.
“What’s happening?” she asked, her voice shaking.
Mara didn’t answer. Her eyes were fixed on Sarah, who was now screaming, thrashing against the ropes.
“They’re here!” Sarah shrieked. “I can hear them!”
The shadows in the corners of the room began to move, slithering across the walls like living things. Claire’s heart pounded as she realized this wasn’t some elaborate special effect. This was real.
“Mara, stop this!” Claire shouted.
But Mara only smiled. “This is what we came for. True fear.”
The shadows engulfed Sarah, her screams cut short as they consumed her. When they receded, the chair was empty.
Claire dropped her microphone and backed toward the door. “What the hell is this?”
Mara turned to her, her gray eyes gleaming. “The Blackwood Estate is a gateway. The shadows are always hungry. And tonight, they’ve been fed.”
Claire bolted for the door, but it slammed shut before she could reach it.
Chapter 10: The Hunt
Claire spun around, her chest heaving. “Let me out!”
Mara stepped closer, her voice calm but menacing. “You’re part of the project now, Claire. The shadows want you.”
“No!” Claire shouted, grabbing a nearby lamp and swinging it at Mara.
Mara dodged effortlessly, her movements unnaturally fast. “You can’t escape. They’ll find you.”
The lights flickered again, and the hum returned, louder this time. The shadows were back, creeping along the walls, closing in.
Claire smashed a window with the lamp and climbed through, cutting her hands on the broken glass. She landed hard on the ground below and ran into the forest, the shadows close behind.
The trees seemed to twist and shift around her, the path disappearing as she ran. The shadows whispered in her ears, their voices cold and mocking.
You can’t run.
We’ll find you.
We’ll always find you.
Claire’s breath came in ragged gasps. Her hands were bleeding, and her legs felt like they were made of lead. She stumbled into a clearing, where a figure stood waiting.
It was Sarah.
But it wasn’t the Sarah from before. Her eyes were black voids, and her skin was pale and cracked like porcelain. She smiled, revealing rows of jagged teeth.
“Join us,” she said, her voice echoing unnaturally.
Claire turned to run, but the shadows were everywhere. They wrapped around her, cold and suffocating. She screamed, but no sound came out.
The last thing she saw was Mara, watching from the edge of the clearing, her gray eyes filled with satisfaction.
Chapter 11: The Cycle Continues
Mara returned to the Blackwood Estate, where the shadows waited for their next meal. She reviewed the footage from Claire’s equipment, the distorted audio capturing every scream, every whisper.
It was perfect.
A week later, another email arrived in an inbox.
Subject: URGENT: Night Shoot – $5,000 for One Night
The recipient hesitated, then clicked reply.
I’m in.
And the cycle began again.
Chapter 12: The Investigator
Detective Laura Hayes had been investigating the disappearances of Elliot Cross and Claire Bennett for weeks. Both had vanished after responding to an email about a night shoot at the Blackwood Estate. Laura had little to go on—no bodies, no evidence, just a gut feeling that something was terribly wrong.
She arrived at the estate just after sunset, her badge gleaming in the dim light. The house was as foreboding as the rumors suggested, its windows dark and its walls crumbling. Laura climbed the porch steps, her hand resting on her holstered gun.
The front door creaked open, revealing a tall, pale woman with sharp features and gray eyes.
“Can I help you?” the woman asked, her voice calm but cold.
“I’m Detective Laura Hayes,” Laura said, flashing her badge. “I’m looking for Elliot Cross and Claire Bennett. They were last seen here.”
The woman—Mara Voss—smiled faintly. “I’m afraid I don’t know anyone by those names.”
Laura’s eyes narrowed. “Mind if I take a look around?”
Mara stepped aside. “Be my guest.”
Laura entered the house, her senses on high alert. The air was thick with the scent of decay, and the floorboards groaned under her weight. She searched the rooms one by one, finding nothing but dust and shadows.
But as she reached the second floor, she heard something—a faint whisper, almost like a voice. She followed it to a large, dimly lit room, where a single chair sat in the center.
The whispers grew louder, more insistent. Laura drew her gun, her heart pounding.
“Show yourself!” she shouted.
The shadows in the corners of the room began to move, slithering across the walls like living things. Laura’s breath came out in visible puffs, and the air felt heavy, oppressive.
“What the hell is this?” she muttered, backing toward the door.
But the door slammed shut behind her.
Chapter 13: The Truth
Mara stepped into the room, her gray eyes gleaming. “You shouldn’t have come here, Detective.”
Laura raised her gun. “What are you?”
Mara smiled. “A curator. The shadows need to feed, and I provide the meals.”
The shadows closed in, their whispers filling Laura’s ears.
You can’t run.
We’ll find you.
We’ll always find you.
Laura fired her gun, but the bullets passed through Mara as if she were made of smoke. The shadows wrapped around her, cold and suffocating. She screamed, but no sound came out.
The last thing she saw was Mara, watching from the edge of the room, her gray eyes filled with satisfaction.
Chapter 14: The Endless Night
Mara returned to the Blackwood Estate, where the shadows waited for their next meal. She reviewed the footage from Laura’s body camera, the distorted audio capturing every scream, every whisper.
It was perfect.
A week later, another email arrived in an inbox.
Subject: URGENT: Night Shoot – $5,000 for One Night
The recipient hesitated, then clicked reply.
I’m in.
And the cycle began again.
The shadows were always hungry.
And Mara Voss was always there to feed them.
The End.