The shadows felt thicker than usual as I ran through the trees, heart hammering, senses screaming. My lungs burned, my legs threatened to give out, but I couldn’t stop. I had to get away—had to put space between me and Karen before the trap closed fully.

Then, without warning, the world shifted. The forest around me dissolved into darkness, replaced by jagged flashes of memory, visions I didn’t remember living but felt every ounce of as real as the night air.

I was a child again. I ...