The girls didn’t hesitate.
The moment Mattew told them to leave, they moved quickly, their steps unsteady but urgent. Fear still clung to their faces, but it was mixed with something else now—relief, like they had finally found a way out of a nightmare.
Before disappearing into the night, a few of them looked back.
Under the dim streetlights, their eyes shimmered with tears.
“Thank you,” one of them whispered softly, her voice breaking.
Another nodded shakily, unable to speak, before they all slowly faded into the darkness together.
Mattew stood still for a moment, watching until they were gone. The weight in his chest eased slightly, but it didn’t last long.
A loud screech of tires suddenly tore through the quiet street.
His body reacted before his thoughts did.
He turned sharply
