Cries from Crow's Corner

Hollowridge was like any other town in the daytime, with its bustling markets, chatty townsfolk, and children playing in the streets. However, as soon as dusk began to fall, a shadow seemed to descend upon the town. At the heart of this shadow was the ill-reputed Crow's Corner, an old dilapidated mansion that stood as a dark sentinel upon a desolate hill.

Legends spoke of ghastly cries echoing from its barren walls during the witching hour, cries that sent shivers down the spines of even the bravest souls.

Enter James, a seasoned journalist with a proclivity for the unknown. He had traversed haunted asylums, cursed woods, and abandoned settlements, but Crow's Corner was different. The weight of its tragic past could be felt even as he approached the front gate. Undeterred, he set up his equipment in the central hall, waiting for the rumored cries.

Hours ticked by, and as the clock's hand neared midnight, soft whispers began to form around him. These weren't just random sounds; they were pleading, begging, crying for release. The entire mansion seemed alive with the echoes of its dark past.

Following the intensity of the cries, James descended into the mansion's underbelly, discovering a hidden chamber. This wasn't just any room; it was a torture chamber from centuries past. Chains, shackles, and remnants of archaic torture devices littered the area. In the center stood a lone chair, its restraints stained with age-old blood.

Beside the chair, James found a diary – the journal of Elara, a woman wronged by the town, accused of witchcraft, and condemned to suffer in this very chamber. The entries described her days of torment, her desperate cries for justice, and her vows to make every future inhabitant of the mansion hear her pain.

A sudden cold gust enveloped James. The room darkened, and the whispers grew louder, more aggressive. Invisible hands gripped him, pulling him towards the chair. Panic surged as he struggled, but the unseen force was relentless. The final thing James heard, as everything faded to black, was Elara's chilling voice, 'Now, you too will know my pain.'