The room was pitch dark. Without the lights on, you could barely make out anything inside.
Brandon figured Elena was already asleep, so he didn't bother turning the light on. He just stood quietly at the door.
He stayed there for a long time. Still no sign of movement from inside. Just as he was about to leave, he heard a sudden thud—something heavy had fallen.
He rushed to flip on the lights and saw Elena collapsed on the floor, having fallen off a stool. The wall behind her was streaked with bloody handprints, dragging upwards until they stopped near the window. The wooden planks over the window had the darkest, thickest blood stains—one of them looked slightly loose. Through the narrow gap, you could faintly see the moonlight outside.
Elena lay curled up in a corner, tremb
