The world was silent except for the wind and Lila Cross's even breathing.
"Ding—"
Her phone chimed with a low-battery warning.
Lila stiffened, quickly switching off the flashlight and trying to use the last bit of power to call Chloe Fortune.
But the moment the number connected, the screen went black.
Dead battery.
An endless darkness closed in around her.
Lila felt her heart pounding so hard it might burst from her chest.
The still air and suffocating blackness felt like a monstrous beast with its jaws wide open, devouring her whole.
She was terrified of the dark.
The woman stared desperately at the moonlit window, then screamed out in panic.
"Is anyone there!?"
"Help!"
"Someone, please!"
She hammered at the locked door, trying to make as much noise as possible.
Her hands a
