The Shadow of Blackthorn Manor





Chapter 1: The Invitation

The letter arrived on a stormy Thursday.


Lila Carter wiped the rain from the envelope, her fingers trembling as she recognized the wax seal—a twisted thorn encircling a raven. The mark of Blackthorn Manor.


"You are cordially invited to the reading of the late Alistair Blackthorn’s will. Attendance is mandatory for all named heirs. October 31st. Midnight."


Lila hadn’t set foot in that house since she was twelve. The night her cousin, Daniel, disappeared.


Chapter 2: The Return

The manor loomed at the end of Blackthorn Lane, its gothic spires clawing at the storm-choked sky. The air smelled of damp earth and something metallic—like old blood.


Inside, the remaining heirs waited.


Marcus Blackthorn, the arrogant eldest, swirling a glass of whiskey.


Eleanor, the quiet, hollow-eyed cousin who never spoke above a whisper.


Jasper, the rebellious artist, sketching grotesque figures in the margins of his notebook.


And Lila, the one who got away.


The lawyer, Mr. Graves, stood at the head of the table, his voice like gravel.


"Alistair’s final wish was simple: the heir must spend one night in the manor. Whoever survives until dawn inherits everything."


A choked laugh escaped Marcus. "This is a joke."


Then the lights went out.


Chapter 3: The First Scream

The darkness was absolute.


Lila fumbled for her phone, the weak glow revealing something scrawled on the wall—


"HE KNOWS WHAT YOU DID."


A crash came from upstairs. Then a scream.


Lila ran, her pulse hammering, only to find Eleanor’s body at the foot of the grand staircase. Her neck was bent at an impossible angle, her eyes wide with terror.


"She was pushed," Jasper whispered.


But by who?


Chapter 4: The Hidden Room

Searching for answers, Lila found a hidden door behind a bookshelf. Inside, a child’s bedroom—dusty toys, a rusted music box, and a journal.


Daniel’s journal.


The last entry was scribbled in frantic, uneven letters:


"They lied. It wasn’t an accident. Uncle Alistair saw. He knows. If I don’t make it out, Lila—RUN."


Her blood turned to ice.


Chapter 5: The Truth Unravels

Footsteps echoed in the hall.


Marcus appeared, his face slick with sweat. "We need to leave. Now."


"You knew," Lila accused. "You knew what happened to Daniel."


A shadow moved behind him.


Jasper lunged, a knife glinting in his hand. "And you’ll join him."


Marcus fell, gasping, as Jasper turned to Lila with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.


"It was supposed to be you that night. Not Daniel."


Chapter 6: The Final Reckoning

The house groaned, the walls bleeding black tendrils of shadow.


Lila ran, Jasper’s laughter chasing her through the halls. She stumbled into the foyer—only to find the doors chained shut.


"You can’t leave," Jasper whispered behind her. "The house demands a sacrifice."


But Lila remembered Daniel’s last words.


She grabbed the rusted music box and hurled it at the stained-glass window. It shattered, the first rays of dawn spilling in.


Jasper screamed as the shadows recoiled, his body twisting, breaking, until he was nothing but a withered husk.


Epilogue: The Last Heir

The police called it a gas leak. A tragic accident.


Lila inherited Blackthorn Manor—and its secrets.


But sometimes, at midnight, she hears the music box playing.


And a child’s voice whispering, "Thank you."