Aria is sprinting down a dark hallway, her feet pounding against the floor as she races toward the faint figure of her brother. But the end of the hall keeps stretching, growing farther and farther away. Cody is trapped at the other end, held by a shadowy figure looming over him, a darkness so intense it swallows the light around it.
"Aria, help me!" Cody's voice is high and desperate, his small hand reaching out to her, his face streaked with tears.
"I'm coming, Cody! Just hold on!" she yells, her heart slamming in her chest as she pushes herself harder, feeling the urgency rise with each step. But the hallway keeps stretching, pulling him further and further away.
Suddenly, the floor gives out beneath her, and she's falling, her eyes locked on the shadow as it drags Cody away. The figure's face twists into a dark smile as Aria tumbles into darkness, her scream ripping through the air.
She jerks awake, gasping, drenched in sweat, her heart pounding in her ears. Her throat is raw, her face wet with tears as she tries to steady herself. And then—CRASH. A sound from Cody's room.
"Cody!" she cries, leaping out of bed. She runs down the hallway, nearly stumbling as her feet hit the floor, her pulse racing with fear.
She bursts into Cody's room, eyes wide and searching, but his bed is empty. The sheets are crumpled, his pillow pushed to one side. She notices the window is wide open, the curtains swaying slightly in the breeze. Cold air prickles her skin as panic floods her.
"Mom! Dad!" she yells, voice breaking as she races back out into the hall, her mind a whirlwind of dread. "Cody's gone—he's not here!"
Her parents rush in, their faces pale with worry as they take in the scene. Her father peers out the window, eyes scanning the dark yard below, while her mother wraps an arm around Aria, trying to calm her.
Together, they search the house and the yard, calling Cody's name into the darkness. But there's no sign of him. Hours pass, blurring in the chaos of police, flashlights, and hushed voices as they scour every corner. Amy appears, trying to soothe Aria, but her words barely register through Aria's growing terror.
By morning, Aria is exhausted, her face pale, hands shaking as she clutches a stack of missing posters with Cody's face. She walks through town, her gaze fixed, handing out flyers to strangers, ignoring the ache in her chest. It feels like a bad dream she can't wake up from.
The ripple effect of Cody's disappearance swept through the town, casting a shadow over every family with young children. Parents stopped letting their kids wander freely. After school, the playgrounds and parks lay empty, the echoes of laughter replaced by silence and apprehensive glances. People kept a close watch, waiting at bus stops and escorting children straight home. No one took chances anymore. The community seemed to feel the weight of an unseen threat, an understanding that something had changed.
That afternoon, Aria returned home, worn and pale. Her mother was in the kitchen, her face soft but strained, trying to smile as Aria walked through the door. The attempt at normalcy only frustrated Aria more.
"Aria, sweetheart, try to relax," her mother urged, her voice gentle yet edged with uncertainty. "I know it's hard, but I have hope—Cody will come back to us. I believe that. And you should, too."
Aria froze, her fists clenching. "Believe? How can you just believe when Cody's out there, and we don't know what's happening to him? He's my brother, and I was supposed to protect him."
Her mother stepped closer, trying to place a hand on Aria's shoulder, but she shrugged it off. "You need to keep doing what you love, Aria. Your bow instructor called. He said you haven't been to training all week, and—"
"So, what?" Aria snapped, her voice rising. "You act like this is normal, like you don't care that he's missing! You keep telling me to 'keep going,' but it feels like you've already given up on him."
Her mother's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "Aria, I am his mother. This pain…it's doubled for me. But I know, somehow, we'll find him. I need you to trust that."
The anger in Aria's eyes softened, her voice lowering to a whisper. "I'm sorry, Mom. I…didn't mean that." She sighed and looked away, feeling the weight of guilt settle over her.
She went to her room and, after a few moments, grabbed her bow, her fingers tightening around it. As she left her room, she cast a glance at Cody's door, closed and silent. She whispered, "Please come back, Cody. I miss you." Her voice cracked, but she quickly looked away, pushing down the lump in her throat.
After a quiet goodbye to her mom, she left for her training, the ache in her chest growing with every step away from home. On her way to her lesson, she took in how quiet the town had become, a chill hanging in the air. As she passed the park where she'd taken one of her last photos of Cody, an idea formed—she would take pictures of Cody's room and review them for anything she might've missed. She hurried on, her grip tight on her bow.
Later that evening, back home, she headed straight to Cody's room. She took photos of every detail—the bed, the desk, the open window—hoping to find something, anything, that might explain his disappearance. She moved through the house, snapping photos, her steps growing slower as the weight of the day settled on her.
Finally, she uploaded the photos to her computer, scrolling through each image, but nothing stood out. The house looked painfully normal, yet felt hollow, an unsettling presence lingering in the silence. She closed her laptop, clutching Cody's favorite teddy bear as she sat on her bed, tears slipping down her cheeks, his name escaping her lips in a quiet, broken whisper.
And as the silence of the night settled around her, she held the bear tighter, feeling the ache of her brother's absence deep in her heart.