Chapter 1 - The Return
The first light of dawn painted the mountains surrounding Santa Eulalia in shades of gray. In an old, dust-covered car, four friends slowly approached the town they had left behind more than a decade ago. Lucía was at the wheel, her eyes wide open and hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, while Tomás, Camila, and Sebastián watched in silence through the windows. Each carried memories faded by time, but just seeing the rusted welcome sign brought everything back to the surface.
As they drove further, they noticed that the town they once knew had changed. The houses that once seemed vibrant were now covered in moss and worn down by time. The town center was deserted, and an icy, almost supernatural breeze swept through the streets. Nostalgia mixed with an unsettling sense of emptiness; Santa Eulalia felt darker than they remembered.
Parking by the small main square, the four of them got out of the car in silence. Camila looked around and sighed, recalling how they used to play near the now dry and cracked fountain. “How could it change so much in such a short time?” she murmured, her voice barely an echo in the cold air.
Sebastián walked over to the fountain and knelt down to touch the ground, as if searching for some sign of life. “It’s as if time has stopped here,” he remarked, looking at the others with a mixture of sadness and unease. The church, standing at the far end of the square, loomed like a sleeping giant, its walls worn and windows shattered, reflecting the ravages of a past that refused to die.
Meanwhile, Tomás looked at the old grocery store. He remembered how his mother used to bring him there to buy sweets, and how the store was always full of neighbors and laughter. Now, the building was closed and overgrown with weeds. Hesitantly, he approached the dusty window and tried to peer inside. The darkness was impenetrable, but he could make out some empty shelves and, on the floor, what appeared to be a trail of ashes.
Lucía, who had remained silent, pointed to the street leading towards the cemetery. “Do you remember the stories they used to tell us about the church and the cult?” she asked, her gaze lost on the horizon. Since they were young, they had heard rumors about the Order of the Eternal Night, a dark cult that supposedly performed sacrifices and rituals in the old church. The adults always warned them not to go near it, but fear of the unknown had never been enough to contain their curiosity.
“I thought it was all just a story to scare us,” replied Tomás, though a shadow of doubt crossed his face. “But now that we’re here, I can’t help but feel that some of it might be true.”
Sebastián nodded. “I don’t think all the rumors were false. There was always something strange about this place.” The silence grew heavier, as if the very town was listening to their words.
They decided to take a walk through the empty streets, to reconnect with what remained of their memories. They passed by the old school, where the broken windows looked like hollow eyes watching them, and the park, now overgrown with weeds and twisted trees. As they walked, the four friends felt an invisible presence, as if past and present were entwined in a macabre dance that only they could see.
Suddenly, Lucía stopped. “Did you hear that?” They all fell silent, but the wind had died down and the town was shrouded in absolute stillness. They looked at each other, and for an instant, each thought of suggesting they leave immediately. However, curiosity was stronger than fear. They knew that something dark resided in Santa Eulalia, something that seemed to have been waiting for them all this time.
