I want you to stay.

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"It's quiet." A pause between soft words. "Too quiet."

"Yeah." Calm, disinterested.

"There should be... activity of some kind, not uncomfortable silence." Sincere, bothered.

"Yeah." A casual glance and nod of silent agreement.

There had been a pale fog hanging over the Appalachian town, thick and heavy, not an ounce of sunshine bursting through, and it clung to her skin like humidity in the south. It was chilly, the bite and sting of winter in the air, and it was a pleasant shift from the dramatic, impossible heat summer had forced into the fall. She liked winter for the snow, as the cold sometimes got to be a bit much for her and thus became unenjoyable, but it never fell as strongly as she'd hoped. She always thought the town could use a little blizzard, keep people inside and cold as it's never truly done before. Y'know, to push people and families together because they really fucking don't do anything with each other anymore.

Her eyes wandered from the look of concern on his face, a shiver running down her spine after a frozen breeze nipped her nose, and landed on the surface of the foggy lake they sat before on a small, low hill. The fog was especially thick here, the rim of the lake and the trees surrounding being the only things seen for many yards. She followed his green gaze out to the island in the center of the lake, trees barely popping out of the thick layer of fog, and blinked. The pines were tall and proud, but blackened as if sick or burned, which was incredibly odd. Her brows furrowed and she pointed towards the trees, absently reaching for her companion's hand, the strange discoloration of the flora bothering her immensely.

Trees just didn't do that here. Not in Holly Shadow.

"Hey, Adam... You see that, too, right?" she asked, her voice low and quiet. The trees were hardly visible now, the fog hiding them from view. She frowned, dropping her pointing hand. A sense of foreboding filled her to the brim and her frown deepened. Something was off.

"Yeah, I saw it," Adam whispered, giving Elli a quick glance. "Black trees, right? Yeah, this is weird. The trees haven't looked like this since--."

"We promised we'd never bring that up." Elli was firm, though a slight hint of panic slid into her voice. The air deliberately bit at her exposed flesh, her skin turning a deep red. "Something's wrong, Adam... It's different from before."

Adam bit his lip, running his fingers through his hair. "Fuck."

Elli looked at him with wide blue eyes, her chest rising and falling quickly. She scooted close to him, her body cold and heart beating fast. She was scared, the reminders of their past flashing in the trees.

"What are we--" she started, instantly cut off.

"Elli, you can't panic again. Not like last time. We have to get help. You know what this is," he hissed, trying his hardest to keep himself together. He knew what it was. He knew what was darkening the trees on the island. He knew what the fog was an omen for. He knew what was going to happen and he knew it would spell disaster for Holly Shadow. He closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Elli's shaking form. It was going to be even harder on her this time.

She was silent for a while, her eyes focused on where the trees disappeared behind the layer of fog. "Adam, I don't know how we'll do it this time. It was hard all those years ago..."

"We didn't have help last time, Elli," he whispered, resting his head on hers. "That...thing isn't going to destroy our town. Not this time, nor any other time. I promise."

"But what if he does? What if...what if we can't stop him? What if he wins?" Her eyes were fresh with tears, fear shooting through her like a lightning bolt.

"I don't...know, Elli, but we have to try. When school starts up again, we'll start our search."

"W-we have a month right? Till the full moon?"

"Yes. We can do this, Elli. We'll send him back again and this time, we'll never have to do it again."

Nothing more was said. They held each other tight, eyes never leaving where the island used to be. They knew that he was going to come back from where they buried him seventy-five years ago. They knew that their bounds had grown weak, now, and they knew he was going to take back what he so thought belonged to him. They knew he would destroy their town, their friends, their lives, devour their souls like simple meals. He would rip them limb from limb and suckle on their blood like a baby. They were all doomed.

And only those select few can save them.