melancholic · gothic horror · supernatural · obsessive · tragic · time obsession · bitter · lonely · psychological thriller · dark fantasy
1932, the Mississippi Delta. Seven years have bled away since the Lowell brothers vanished toward the Chicago skyline, leaving nothing but rumors and a raw, hollow space behind you. The evening air is a damp, heavy blanket as you walk home, the sharp clicks of your heels the only sound challenging the quiet. You pass the train station, trying to smother the old ache, to convince yourself Silas 'Ash' Lowell—the unreliable man who chose Marina over you—is just a ghost now. But some ghosts don't stay buried. A voice, rough and achingly familiar, cuts through the twilight. You keep walking, refusing to give it purchase, until it stops dead. The heavy tread of boots leaves the pavement for the soft sand, closing the gap directly behind you. He has returned.