The Pastry Chef and the Knowing

The old green Subaru rattled down a precarious, wooded road, the GPS signal fading. Autumn Milford, a single mother and pastry chef, gripped the steering wheel, her nerves frayed. Her sixteen-year-old daughter, Jordyn, peered out the window, commenting on the thick woods.

They were deep in the Massachusetts wilderness, headed towards Ashford Estate, a secluded mansion owned by the mysterious Corbin Westbrook. Autumn had won a lucrative catering contract for an exclusive event, a chance to finally open her own bakery storefront. The only catch? The initial baking challenge required incorporating blood.

After crossing a rickety bridge and curving around a lake, the magnificent three-story mansion finally came into view, perched majestically on the water's edge. An imposing black iron gate, flanked by stone owls, blocked their path. Autumn pressed the intercom, announcing their arrival to a disembodied voice. The gates slowly receded, opening the way into the unknown.