Chapter 1:The Midnight Shadows
The fog crept in like an unwanted guest, settling thickly over Ravenswood. It clung to the streets, wrapped itself around the old buildings, and swallowed the pale moonlight that tried to pierce the night. No one ever stayed in Ravenswood too long—especially not after dark.
Lyra Montgomery had lived in the small town her entire life, but the weight of its eerie atmosphere had never been more oppressive. There were whispers about Ravenswood—whispers about shadows that moved without bodies, about disappearances that nobody could explain. But to Lyra, those had always been just stories. Until now.
She stood at the edge of the Montgomery estate, her heart thudding against her ribcage. The mansion, inherited from generations of her ancestors, was as decaying as the secrets it held. The overgrown ivy clawed at the sides of the house like the fingers of the past, and the old windows stared blankly into the distance, hiding what they had witnessed.
Lyra had always felt it—a lingering presence. Something dark. Something that watched her, even when she was alone. Tonight, the feeling was worse than ever.
A chill ran down her spine as the wind shifted, carrying an unsettling whisper through the trees. It wasn't the wind. It was something else. Something she couldn't name, but knew intimately. The Midnight Shadow.
For as long as she could remember, her family had warned her about it. The curse. The darkness that had followed the Montgomery bloodline for centuries. It wasn't just a story. It was real. And it was coming for her.
Her great-great-grandmother, Isabella Montgomery, had sealed a pact with a demon in exchange for power. In return, the demon—known as the Midnight Shadow—was allowed to possess a Montgomery heir every few generations. Lyra was the last in the line.
The whispers had become more frequent over the last few weeks. Late at night, when she was trying to sleep, the voice would slip into her mind. The Shadow was waking up, and it was calling for her.
Lyra gripped the iron gate in front of the cemetery, her fingers tightening until her knuckles turned white. She knew she couldn't fight it forever. The Shadow had chosen her. And it wanted to take her, consume her, make her its vessel.
The sound of a car pulling up interrupted her thoughts. She turned, her heart skipping a beat when she saw the familiar black Chevy Impala parked at the end of the driveway. It was the Winchesters. Sam and Dean.
They had arrived. Lyra had heard rumors about two men asking questions about her family's curse. She hadn't expected them to find her this quickly.
Dean Winchester stepped out of the car first, his boots hitting the gravel with a heavy thud. He wore a worn leather jacket and a cocky grin, like the weight of the world couldn't touch him. Beside him, his brother Sam, taller and more reserved, scanned the surroundings with a quiet intensity.
"Lyra Montgomery?" Dean called out, his voice loud and confident. "You're a hard one to track down."
Lyra didn't answer right away. She studied them, feeling the sharpness of their gazes. They weren't like the other people she had met in Ravenswood. There was something different about them. Something that told her they knew exactly what she was running from.
"You're here about the disappearances, aren't you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Sam nodded, his expression softening. "We're investigating a string of disappearances around here. People vanishing without a trace. All signs point to something... darker than normal."
Dean leaned against the Impala, his grin widening. "You could say we deal with dark stuff for a living."
Lyra took a step back, her eyes darting between the two brothers. "I don't need your help."
Dean's expression hardened, just for a second. "You don't have a choice in the matter."
Lyra's chest tightened. She wanted to run. To hide. But she knew, deep down, that the darkness wouldn't let her go. Not anymore.
The whispers started again. Soft at first, like the rustle of leaves in a storm. Then they grew louder, more insistent. Lyra…
"Get inside," she said quickly, her voice shaking. "I'll tell you what I can."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and headed toward the mansion. She could feel their eyes on her, but she didn't care. The house was where everything started, where the curse had taken root. If she was going to fight this, she needed to face it.
The brothers followed her, exchanging silent glances.
Inside, the house was as she remembered it—cold, abandoned, haunted. The walls were adorned with faded portraits of her ancestors, their eyes seemingly watching her every move. Lyra led them to the living room, where a fire burned weakly in the hearth. The air felt thick with the weight of unspoken history.
Dean sat down in an armchair, glancing around. "This place gives me the creeps."
"I've lived here my whole life," Lyra replied. "You get used to it."
Sam, who had been silent up until now, spoke up. "What exactly is it you're running from? We've heard rumors, but... we need to understand what's really going on."
Lyra hesitated, the weight of the truth pressing down on her. She had never told anyone about the curse—not fully. Not until now.
"The Midnight Shadow," she said, her voice trembling. "It's a demon. It's been hunting my family for generations. It possesses one of us every few decades. And now it's coming for me."
Dean raised an eyebrow. "A demon? That's what's behind all this?"
Lyra nodded. "It's the reason people go missing. The reason bad things happen. My great-great-grandmother made a deal with it. She thought she could control it, but she couldn't. And now, I'm the last Montgomery. And it wants me."
The room fell silent, the fire crackling softly as the weight of her words sank in.
Sam leaned forward. "We can help you, Lyra. We've dealt with demons before."
Dean, ever the skeptic, crossed his arms. "But we're gonna need more than that. What else can you tell us?"
Lyra took a deep breath. "There's a way to stop it. A ritual. But it's dangerous. And if I fail, it'll kill me."
Dean stood up, his expression serious now. "We'll find another way."
But Lyra knew. She knew there was no escaping it. No running from it. The Midnight Shadow was already inside her, waiting for the right moment.
And that moment was fast approaching.