ELYRA
I kept telling myself there was nothing to be afraid of.
It was just a quiet road. That was all.
People drove through lonely roads every day. Cars broke down sometimes. It didn’t mean anything terrible was going to happen. I repeated those thoughts in my head like a small prayer while I stood beside my car, staring down the empty stretch of road ahead of me.
But the sky above me had other plans.
Just moments ago, the night had looked normal—dark, but manageable. Now the clouds were gathering thick and heavy, swallowing the last bits of light like a curtain being drawn across the world. The wind picked up, rustling the tall grass that lined the road, making it whisper and sway in ways that made my skin crawl.
“Oh, Lord,” I whispered to myself.
The words sounded weak even to my
