Shirley
I should’ve trusted my instincts. Something had felt off all day, like a warning humming beneath my skin. But I brushed it off. I needed normal—whatever that looked like now—and pretending things were fine had become my specialty.
It was past ten when I left the bar. Zara had already gone home, and I didn’t bother asking Dante for a ride. After everything that had happened between us, space was the only thing keeping me from exploding.
The night was quiet, the air cool against my skin as I took the shortcut through the alley behind the hardware store. I hated the silence. It had weight now, like it was listening.
Then I heard it.
A low rustle. A snapping twig.I froze.
“Hello?” My voice came out strained, useless.
No answer. Just the wind.
I took a step forward—and then I sa
