Lyra's POV
I didn’t understand what was happening. Fear gripped me, and I shook uncontrollably. Without thinking, I turned and bolted down the hall.
Each step reverberated against the empty walls, my footfalls hammering like frantic heartbeats. My hands clutched at my head as my breaths came in sharp, uneven gasps, my chest tight with panic.
Somewhere in the shadows, voices rose—shouts, sobs, desperate pleas. “Help me… help me…” they murmured, the words twisting into a nightmarish chorus of anguish.
I skidded to a stop, my breath catching. My eyes darted wildly in every direction, searching for the source. But there was nothing—only suffocating darkness pressing in from all sides.
Sliding down the wall, I drew my knees to my chest, wrapping my arms around myself. My hands trembled as
