Previously: Trapped in a brutal winter, Sheriff Jon Carter refuses the Lady in Black’s chilling bargain—to sacrifice the elderly in exchange for the town’s survival. But when a child is taken instead, he realizes she won’t wait—she will force his hand.
Cold Hollow, Vermont — December 1999
The child’s name was Emily Holloway.
She was only seven years old.
Jon Carter had known her since the day she was born. Her father, Thomas Holloway, ran the town’s only garage. Her mother had died two years ago from pneumonia, and despite the weight of that loss, Emily had remained a bright spark in Cold Hollow—until tonight.
Until the Lady in Black had taken her.
Her lifeless body lay on the floor, small and fragile, surrounded by melting snow. Her eyes were gone, hollow pits staring into the ceiling. And across her tiny stomach—those same jagged, bloody words.
“FEED ME.”
Jon dropped to his knees beside her, his hands trembling as he reached out. Her skin was ice cold.
He had seen death before. Murders. Accidents. Corpses twisted by war.
But this?
This was something unnatural. Something cruel.
Jon clenched his jaw so hard it hurt.
The Lady in Black had promised to wait.
She had lied.
Earlier That Evening – Emily and the Lady in Black
Emily Holloway had always been told not to talk to strangers.
But the beautiful lady standing outside her bedroom window wasn’t a stranger—at least, not to Emily. She looked like a queen from her bedtime stories, with long black hair and a voice soft as snow.
She had spoken to Emily before. In her dreams.
Tonight, the lady smiled at her from the other side of the glass.
“Emily,” she whispered. “Come outside, little one.”
Emily hesitated. “Daddy says I shouldn’t.”
The woman tilted her head. “Your daddy is asleep. And I have a surprise for you.”
Emily’s little hands gripped the windowsill. “A surprise?”
The Lady in Black nodded.
“But you must wait,” she whispered. “Be patient, my dear. I promise—it will come tonight.”
Emily’s lips curled into a smile. She liked surprises.
So she waited.
Cold Hollow – After the Murder
Jon didn’t sleep that night.
He barely breathed.
His hands were still shaking when he climbed into his patrol truck and drove through the snow-covered roads, heading toward the old cave on the outskirts of town—the one locals called Black Hollow.
No one went there. Not in the winter. Not ever.
But Jon knew she was waiting for him.
The Lady in Black had pushed too far.
Tonight, there would be no bargains.
The Cave of Shadows
The cave was colder than death.
Jon stepped inside, his breath curling in the frozen air. The walls dripped with moisture, the rock dark and slick, like the inside of some ancient beast’s throat.
And at the very center of the cavern, she stood.
The Lady in Black.
Her gown billowed despite the still air, her endless black eyes drinking in the darkness.
She smiled.
“You came.”
Jon’s grip on his revolver tightened. “You killed a child.”
She sighed. “I did no such thing.”
Jon’s teeth clenched. “Her stomach was carved open.”
The Lady in Black tilted her head. “And yet you refuse me my feast.”
Jon lunged forward, grabbing her by the throat. His hands burned on contact, as if he had touched something beyond human.
Her face remained calm.
“You are strong,” she whispered. “But you cannot kill me, Sheriff.”
Jon’s breathing was ragged. “You said you would wait.”
“I did,” she murmured. “I waited for you to see reason.”
Jon’s fingers twitched. His instinct screamed to pull his gun. To end this.
But then—
The cave shuddered.
Something moved behind her.
Jon barely had time to react before it emerged from her cloak.
A shadow peeled itself away from her body—tall, monstrous, its limbs too long, its skin cracked like old leather.
It landed with a thud, its heavy boots cracking the ice beneath them.
And when it lifted its head—
Jon recognized the face.
The General’s Return
General Elias Monroe.
But not as a man. As something else.
Something twisted.
His eyes burned red, his once-proud uniform now blackened and tattered. His teeth were sharper, his fingers ending in clawed talons.
Jon staggered back. “No… that’s not possible.”
The Lady in Black laughed softly.
“Oh, Sheriff,” she purred. “You never understood, did you?”
She gestured to the thing beside her.
“Monroe is mine. And soon, your town will be, too.”
Jon’s heart pounded.
He was never fighting just one evil.
The Lady in Black had never been alone.
She had brought her general.
And now, Cold Hollow would burn.
To be continued…
Stay tuned every week for a new episode.
If you enjoy Horror Stories in Episodes, don’t miss the finished episodic series of the Lake Lady.
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