The Hollow Beneath

Folklorist Lila Granger arrives in the fading Appalachian town of Ashford Hollow seeking answers about a village swallowed by the earth decades ago. The locals offer only guarded glances, and Sheriff Dane Mercer warns her to leave the past buried. But when tremors split the ground and whispers rise from the soil, Lila refuses to turn away.

Drawn into the deepening mystery, she uncovers the original town lying directly beneath her feet—and a connection to Dane’s own family that he has spent his life trying to hide. Together they descend into the fissure, where streets remain frozen in ruin and restless spirits feed on guilt and silence. As the hollow’s hunger grows and the dead reach for the living, Lila must confront the truth of what happened beneath the landslide.

To survive, she and Dane must decide whether some histories are better left in darkness—or whether only the light of acknowledgment can set the valley free. In the silence that follows, Lila will have to choose what to carry back to the surface, and what to leave behind.