Colleen couldn't believe her ears. The words echoed like a siren in her mind, impossible and unreal.
Her legs trembled, yet they moved—not because she willed them to, but because something else guided her. She didn't want to go forward, didn't want to see more, but her body betrayed her.
Every step felt distant, dreamlike, as if she were watching herself from somewhere outside her own skin.
Terror clawed at her chest. She turned to Thomas, the one person she thought could anchor her. But he was frozen—completely still.
His eyes were wide with helpless fury, his jaw clenched tight, but no sound came from his mouth. He couldn't even lift a finger. It was as if invisible chains wrapped around his limbs, paralyzing him.
"Help me, Thomas…" Her voice came out as a shaky whisper. It cracked at the end, desperate and scared. But there was no answer, no movement.
Her boyfriend stood like a statue, impotent in every way.
