The architectural style of the houses around Alice was unfamiliar, starkly different from anything she had seen before.
Suddenly, the scenery shifted once more. Alice found herself standing inside a house. She looked down to find the floor was made of aged wood, and the dim light in the hallway cast long shadows, giving the space an eerie, almost haunting atmosphere.
"Where am I?" Alice muttered under her breath, her eyes scanning the darkened surroundings.
Sob... Sob...
A faint sound of crying reached her ears. Drawn by the noise, Alice walked toward a door and peered inside. What she saw made her heart tighten.
Inside the room, a woman sat on the floor, cradling a child in her arms, her body wracked with sobs. Bruises marred her face, arms, and legs, evidence of a violent assault.
"I... I'm sorry..." The woman's voice trembled, her words muffled by her sobs as she clung to the child.
