Maya Pierce went home that night in a state of shock, her mind still reeling from the horrors she had witnessed.
She barely remembered the journey; the streets, the turns, even her own front door seemed to blur past her in a haze.
When she finally stumbled through her doorway, she felt as though she had just awoken from a fever dream, her body numb, her thoughts muddled.
It was only in the quiet isolation of her room that the night's events began to seep back into her mind, creeping up like shadows and filling her with a sickening dread.
When she awoke the next morning, Maya's first instinct was to believe that everything had been nothing but a horrific nightmare.
Yet, as she lay still, unwilling to open her eyes, the faint echoes of tortured screams and unhinged laughter began to haunt her, each sound sharp and visceral, as if it were happening right there in her room.
