𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐄 ━━ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩

⠀⠀𝟬𝟭. ❛ IN A CITY FULL OF LONELY PEOPLE ❜

     Dropping the key to the floor, her chocolate brown eyes widened as a rush of panic seeped through her veins. The air leaving her lips became ragged and harsh as she stepped forward. Her hands began trembling at her sides, and she jammed her fist into her mouth, trying to stifle the scream that was crawling its way up her throat.

     Then, she heard the sound of someone coming— the soft susurration of their footsteps, like a threatening whisper, echoing louder in the darkness as they approached. The noise didn't appear to come from any direction. It was just a sound encapsulating her, trapping her into a cocoon of despair and dread.

     Curiosity got the best of her as she trudged to the right, begrudgingly facing the living room with tears already prickling in the corners of her eyes.

     Family pictures that once lined the walls were shattered and stained with blood, littering the floor in every direction. Books that once rested in the bookcase to the left were strewn everywhere, along with the remains of the pillows from the couches.

     Hesitantly taking another step forward, she felt her legs twitch, fighting off the impulse to whirl around and sprint back down the front porch, leaving behind the scene before her.

     Turning, she faced the dining room where the Lita family had once eaten and enjoyed family dinners full of giggles and teasing. Now, all that remained was a broken dining table with a woman lying on top of the splinters of wood, her white blouse soaked in a red darker than any shade the girl had ever seen before. The chairs were fragmented and scattered while the record player in the right corner of the room spun a Patsy Cline vinyl around. The song that was once playing had ended long ago; now, all that could be heard was the faint sound of static.

     Roaming her gaze around the area, her throat closed in threat of screaming when she saw vibrating, yellow lightning that embodied the figure of a person standing before her. Where one's eyes would be, rested two glowing red orbs of hatred that narrowed at her.

     The sound of flesh squishing against splintered wood caused the girl to visibly flinch, backing away as the figure struck a broken chair leg into her already dead father's chest. Her mind was beginning to fail, like an engine that turned over and over, never fully kicking into action. She couldn't formulate a thought.

     All it took was four seconds for everything to click in her mind before her fist fell from her mouth, and she let out a blood-curdling cry.

     All it took was three seconds for the Briars next door to hear the scream and dial 911.

     It took two seconds for the yellow figure to shove her to the ground and race out of the front door.

     And all it took was one second for her entire world to change.

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𝘊𝘈𝘙𝘜𝘛𝘏𝘌𝘙𝘚 𝘊𝘐𝘛𝘠
JANUARY 7TH, 2010

     "WHAT DO WE HAVE?"

     "She was struck by lightning an hour ago. She's been repeatedly convulsing and isn't responding."

     "Heart rate is low."

     "Start compressions now."