JUSTIN
Valerie's scream had led us straight to a crime scene - with tens of dried up bodies missing eyes, limbs and a few other body parts.
"Gross!" Ethan grunted. He looked like he was going to throw up his dinner at any moment.
"Any sign of Valerie?" Kyle grunted.
There was still no sign of her. Just then, another wave of pain hit me like a battering ram, sharp and unrelenting. It was unlike anything I’d ever felt before, a searing ache that broke through my chest and into my limbs. I stumbled, clutching at my ribs, trying to catch my breath. Around me, the others faltered as well, grimaces etched on their faces, but I could tell—this pain was hitting me the hardest.
My mind raced as the agonizing sensation pulsed through me. This wasn’t normal. It wasn’t natural, and in some way I
