The rain continued through the night.
By morning the city looked washed clean, the streets reflecting pale gray
light from a sky that hadn't yet decided whether it would clear or storm
again. Jessica stood at the apartment window with a mug of coffee she had
forgotten to drink, watching water drip from the fire escape outside.
Her phone sat on the counter behind her.
Silent.
Dead again.
The message from Micah had disappeared when the screen went black,
leaving no trace that it had ever been there.
But Jessica knew she hadn't imagined it.
We are not alone.
The words repeated themselves in her mind.
Behind her, Ellie padded into the kitchen wearing an oversized hoodie
Jessica had found in a drawer.
Her hair stuck out wildly, and she squinted at the daylight like someone who
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