Chapter 100. Attacked

Alison’s POV

The air outside Simone’s house was different today, charged, heavy, as if the universe itself held its breath. I stood frozen on the porch, the hair on my arms prickling. There was a strange energy, like a quiet warning that something unnatural lingered here.

I hesitated before calling out, my voice trembling slightly. “Simone?”

Silence. Not even the chirping of crickets answered me.

A knot of dread tightened in my stomach. “Simone!” I called again, louder this time. Still nothing. My feet moved on their own as I pushed the door open, the creak of the hinges breaking the eerie stillness.

Inside, the house was dark, but not just the absence-of-light kind of dark, this was deeper, heavier, as though the shadows were alive and watching me. My heart pounded as I stepped further in, the floorboards groaning under my weight.

“Simone, where are you?” I whispered, my voice barely above a breath.

The sitting room came into view, a