Time did not move the way it usually did.
It stretched and folded into itself.
Ava stood in the hallway, her back close to the wall, her fingers still wrapped tightly around her phone. She hadn’t realized how hard she was gripping it until the edges began to press into her skin, a dull ache settling into her palm.
Inside the room, the quiet had deepened.
No more voices, just the faint rustle of movement.
Ava’s chest rose slowly, unevenly. The air didn’t seem to settle properly in her lungs. Each breath felt shallow, like something inside her had forgotten how to do it fully.
She swallowed. Her throat tightened in response.
Then she heard footsteps approaching.
Her body reacted before her mind could catch up.
She pushed herself off the wall, her spine straightening, her face smoot
