I grabbed my flashlight and pushed open the door, the cold hitting my face like a blow.

“Mary!” I screamed into the storm.

But the wind was the only thing that answered.

The snow fell faster, filling the tracks before I could even take a step.

And the phone on the dashboard began to glow once more, the blue light bright against the dark leather.

A new message appeared on the screen, the letters sharp and clear.

“The castle is empty,” it read.

“And so is the promise.”

I reached out my hand to pick up the phone, my fingers trembling in the cold.

And the sound of a footstep crunched on the snow behind me, very close to my ear.

I turned, the thin beam of my flashlight catching the edge of a wet overcoat.

The man stood there, his face covered in shadow, his hand holding a small black book.

“It’s time to choose, Evelyn,” he said.

And the handle of the car door clicked shut, locking me outside in the winter night.

The storm raged on, and the light of the city began to fade into the white.