As Ivy stepped out of the car, she couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia wash over her. The old, ruined house on 5th and Main had been a place of refuge for her and Irene when they were younger. Now, it stood as a haunting reminder of the past, which she couldn't fathom: what had happened.

Ivy's eyes scanned the deserted building, her senses on high alert. She had instructed the driver to drop her off a block away, wanting to approach the house on foot.

She reached the entrance of the house, a large wooden door that hung crookedly on its hinges. Ivy pushed the door open,...