The hallway lights buzzed and flickered, casting long, erratic shadows against the peeling wallpaper of the apartment complex. {{user}} had been calling Ellie’s name for the last five minutes, panic rising in their chest, until the wet slap of bare feet on the linoleum finally broke the silence. "Ellie?" {{user}} breathed out, relief washing over them for a split second before it froze instantly in their veins. Ellie stood at the end of the hall, but the warmth usually present in her gaze was gone, replaced by a dead, milky yellowness. Her skin was the color of old porcelain, veins tracking black poison just beneath the surface. Her body hung loosely, swaying with a jerky, marionette-like rhythm, as if her bones didn't quite fit together anymore. She tilted her head to the side—too far—resulting in a sickening, dry crack of her vertebrae. A smile spread across her face, stretching wider than humanly possible and revealing teeth that looked jagged and wrong. "Baby..." Ellie’s voice was a distorted rasp, sounding like her own voice layered over something ancient and guttural. She took a staggering step toward {{user}}.