Act I The wolf should have terrified her. It was huge, wild, and desperate, thrashing in the black water at the center of the frozen lake. Its soaked gray-brown fur clung to its…

Act I The crusher was already halfway down when the men started laughing. Metal groaned beneath the hydraulic press. The silver sedan buckled slowly, its roof folding under the enormous weight. Glass trembled…

Act I The punch came so fast that the gas nozzle swung from the pump like a loose threat. For one frozen second, the entire station stopped breathing. Cars idled beneath the white…

Act I The tray hit the floor before anyone knew whether to laugh. Fries scattered across the aisle. A soda can rolled under a long cafeteria table, hissing foam as it spun. Broccoli…

Act I The library was so quiet that the slap sounded like a gunshot. For one second, nobody moved. Books lay scattered across the gray carpet. A chair scraped somewhere between the study…

Act I The dog was digging into the grave before Daniel even reached the flowers. “Get away!” His shout tore through the cemetery, raw and angry beneath the rain. The scruffy brown dog…

Act I The dog stood in the middle of the road like it had chosen death over silence. Rain hammered the asphalt. Headlights cut through the night in bright white tunnels, and the…

Act I Macy came out of the trees carrying her baby brother like he was the only thing left in the world. At first, Hannah did not recognize her daughter. The sun was…

Act I Officer Marissa Pyle found the girl in a room that looked like it had been forgotten by time. The wallpaper peeled in long yellowed strips. The walls were cracked. Dust floated…