The Listening Town

Silence was never empty in Willow Creek. It was waiting. After returning to her hometown, Emma believed she had survived the worst of it - the strange quiet, the subtle shifts, the feeling that the town itself was watching her breathe. She was wrong. People begin to disappear without warning. Not violently. Not dramatically. They are erased. Their names fade. Their homes become empty. Their existence vanishes from memory - from everyone except Emma. As her connection to Willow Creek deepens, Emma uncovers a terrifying truth: the town doesn't respond to fear or anger. It listens. It observes. And when something no longer fits, it corrects it. With Lucas at her side, Emma must decide how far she is willing to go to understand the town's rules - and what she might lose in the process. Because once Willow Creek notices you, it never stops listening. And it always takes something in return.