The Whispering Shadows of the Night

Chapter 1

Embarking on a journey of self-discovery and growth, Vernon grew up in the eerie town of Shadowvale Hollow, where shadows danced like sinister whispers along the cobblestone streets, whispering the dark secrets of the townspeople into each other's ears. As you enter the town, the air thickens with a sense of dread that permeated every corner and alley, like a perpetual shroud of fear that clung to your skin. The buildings, with their turrets and gargoyles reaching towards the sky like skeletal fingers, seemed to hold secrets of their own, like sentinels guarding ancient mysteries. The inhabitants themselves looked shady, with their shifting eyes and fake smiles plastered on their faces like masks to conceal their true intentions. It was as if they were hiding something - something terrible.

Vernon wasn't like any ordinary teenager growing up in Shadowvale Hollow. Everything about him seemed dark, like a cloud of mystery that followed him wherever he went. He had a dark humor and dark, intrusive thoughts that crept into his mind like a thief in the night. Despite living in a shady town, he never cared much about what others thought. He was a textbook introvert, a lone wolf who preferred the company of his own thoughts. He kind of despised humans, except for his family, of course. He seemed like the kid who kids would pick on, but the strangest thing was that he was never bullied by his peers. He was so mysterious that people thought he was evil or knew something they didn't.

You'd always find him in a black hoodie, baggy pants, and headphones, a uniform that screamed "leave me alone." He never smiled, which gave people the chills because they had never seen him smile. His grey, piercing eyes seemed to see right through them, making them shudder. He never had friends and never planned on making any. He was always quiet and scribbling in his notes, a habit that made people think he was writing a manifesto for the damned. There were even rumors that he wrote the names of the people on his murder list in that book, a rumor that made people cross the street to avoid him.

Vernon knew about the shadiness of Shadowvale Hollow and the fake smiles of the people. That's why he never wanted to mingle with the people of the town. At home, Vernon had a good relationship with his parents and his elder brother and sister. They seemed like the perfect family you'd see in the beginning of movies before something bad departs them. He wasn't mysterious at home and was a bubbly person. Only his family got to see the bright side of Vernon. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Miller, were supportive parents who loved their son for who he was. They never treated him like an outcast, which was how people in the town treated him. His parents worked hard to provide for the family, and he was also close with his brother and sister, Archie and Julia. They always protected their brother and defended him when people tried to speak badly of him. One could say Vernon was loved by his family. They were the only people who kept Vernon going in life, and he didn't want to think about what he would do without them, but would his fear come true?

On the day of his seventeenth birthday, Vernon waited in his bed, as always, waiting for a surprise from his parents and siblings. He waited for what seemed like ages, but no one was coming, so he decided to go downstairs to see what was going on. When he opened the door, the whole house felt cold, which gave him the heebie-jeebies. He had a feeling that something was wrong, but he kept walking. Something in him felt like he wasn't ready for what he was about to witness. His head felt heavy, and there were butterflies in his stomach. He also felt nauseous. For a moment, he decided to shake off that feeling and, in his head, blamed his frequent anxiety. He also thought his family wanted to spook him out, and if they were, he was ready for them.

He gathered courage and kept descending the stairs. As he entered the lounge, he found his parents and two siblings lying in a pool of blood. "Oh my gosh!" he shouted, his voice echoing off the walls. He couldn't move, and it felt like the whole world stopped. Every memory he shared with his family started playing in his head, which made things worse. At first, he thought he was dreaming, as he had just woken up. He pinched himself, and reality snapped back at him. He sat on the floor and continued looking at the bodies lying on the floor, which were like statues in a deserted museum, frozen in time and devoid of any signs of life.

For a moment, he couldn't accept what he was seeing, and thought it was a prank, so he started hitting them gently to wake them up, whilst laughing. He was still laughing and hitting them when a nosy woman in the neighborhood, Mrs. Cusp, entered the house without knocking. She was known for her gossipy nature and was always in everyone's business. She spoke about people behind their backs and was always judging them, as if she had a perfect life. But deep down, she was hiding her own dark secrets. Her husband was a drunkard who abused her and her son, and her son was an addict who had been to juvenile hall multiple times. Despite her own struggles, she always found time to gossip and spread rumors about others.

As soon as she saw the scene, she let out a scream that could wake the dead. At that moment, Vernon wished the scream could wake up his family. The neighbors hearing the scream rushed from their homes to see what was going on. Everyone gasped when they saw the scene. A man called the police and the ambulance to take care of the matter. Everyone avoided Vernon like the plague. People were whispering to themselves, and others came up with their own conspiracy theories. Others were also weeping, which Vernon saw as histrionic, as most of these people didn't like his family. He knew most of them were being pretentious.

He got up from the floor, trying to go out, when everyone in the room flinched. They all started acting as if he had a contagious disease. This shocked him, but he wasn't expecting what was coming next. A man from the crowd shouted, "Don't think of coming close to us, you evil child!" At this point, everyone was murmuring. That's when it hit Vernon that the people thought he killed his family. He found the whole idea ridiculous, as how could a teen like him do that? He kept quiet and went to sit in a corner, trying to shed tears, but they weren't coming out. It seemed like his tears had a mind of their own, so he sat there and waited for what would happen next.

After an hour, the police and the ambulance came. The bodies were taken into the ambulance as Vernon sat down, looking at the bodies of his family being carried away. He thought to himself, "How is my life going to be now?" Thinking about it scared him. He was caught up in his thoughts until the shouts of the policemen brought him back to reality. They were telling everyone to get out as they wanted to investigate the issue. They called it a crime scene, which Vernon knew about due to a lot of crime movies he had watched. At this point, Vernon thought he was in a movie playing a character. If it was so, then this movie was a tragedy, but he had no time to think before a cop led him out of the house.

When he got out, he noticed that everyone was looking at him with a look of disdain. Most parents held their children close to them, as if he was coming to claim their souls. One of the policemen came out and told Vernon not to worry, but they would find him a home for the meantime until he gets adopted. "Adopted?!" he asked, which the policeman nodded his head. Apparently, nobody wanted to take Vernon in, so he had to be sent to the nearest orphanage as he was still a minor. Vernon was scared because he had read a lot of stories about children who got adopted by scary individuals and how orphanages abuse kids and starve them, but he had no time to think before he was placed in a car and sent to the orphanage. He wondered how his life was going to be now, but he was in for a shock.

End of Chapter one. Please don't forget to like and share. The mystery continues and tune in to find what happens next. Please support my work, every little support is appreciated. Please feel free to comment and give your opinions