Four in the freaking morning, that godawful hour when the world’s still buried in darkness. Way too early to be awake, way too late to still be conscious.
Inside the house, Sophia and Andrew were slumped over at the dining table, passed out in their chairs, their stomachs stuffed so full it felt like they might pop. Soft snores and the heavy rhythm of their breathing were the only sounds filling the room. They didn’t even realize danger was slowly creeping in from the shadows outside.
Out in the darkness, while the world stood blissfully ignorant, figures began to emerge from the night, moving like ghosts slipping out of the walls.
They were quick, silent, damn near invisible, gliding across the ground like living shadows. No chatter. No hesitation. They fanned out, surrounding the hous
