那日天刚蒙蒙亮，张凡正被一阵窸窸窣窣的声音吵醒。他皱了皱眉， Assumes it's just the chickens in the coop again. He stretched lazily, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Then, he heard it again, but this time, it was different.

It was the sound of heavy breathing, the creak of wood, and something else... something unnatural. Slowly, he swung his legs out of bed, his movements deliberate and cautious. He reached for his knife, his hand steady despite the clench in his chest.

"Who's there?" he called out, his voice rough with sleep and fear.

The breathing stopped, and a shadow fell over him. It was tall and gaunt, its clothes tattered and stained with something dark. Its face was obscured by a hood, but its eyes glowed with an eerie light.

"I'm here to take her," the creature whispered, its voice like scratching nails on a chalkboard.

张凡's blood ran cold. He knew who "her" was. She was his wife, the only thing he had in this world. He couldn't let this creature take her.