Thick darkness swallowed the basement whole. Not a single ray of light pierced the air—it was as if the world had stopped turning. Only the sound of breath, heartbeats, and dust brushing against the damp air served as faint proof that life still existed within.

Eliana sat with her back against the cold wall. Her heart pounded in her chest. She couldn’t see a thing—not just because of the darkness, but because she had lost her sight since that day. But here, in this suffocating void, she wasn’t alone.

Footsteps. Quickened breaths. A body hitting the floor.

Then—silence.

Eliana inhaled slowly, trying to make sense of it all. She didn’t...