Asher

It began with a whistle.

It was a distinct, eerie sound that seemed to recede into the distance as time passed, accompanied by the dry, rhythmic clinking of bones.

Kaida’s terror intensified with every note. She huddled into herself, whispering a frantic mantra: "They’re here. They’re here." None of us had slept in days; her fear was a physical weight in the room, suffocating and relentless.

"I’m scared," she sobbed, her body wracked with tremors and delirium. "They will ...