I woke up with a jolt.For a second, I didn’t know where I was. My heart hammered, my breath caught somewhere between my lungs and throat, and the room was too dark, too quiet, too… wrong. The kind of wrong that made my skin prickle before my mind even caught up.My hand fumbled for my phone beside me.9:07 p.m.I sat up so fast the blanket twisted around my legs. Mom always woke me for dinner. Always. Even on her worst days, she’d knock on my door and call my name the same way she had my entire life, softly, like she didn’t want to disturb me even when that was the point.But tonight, nothing.No knock. No call. No soft “Autumn, dinner.”A thin sheet of unease slid over my skin.I pushed off the bed, legs shaky from sleep, and opened my door. The hallway light was dim, only the small lamp downstairs glowing faintly against the walls. I held the railing as I walked down, each step quiet, too quiet.Halfway to the living room, I slowed.Mom was asleep on the couch.Except… she wasn’t r
Last Updated : 2025-11-18 Read more