It was a quiet evening in the Outer Banks. Even though it was summer, there were no parties planned for the day that you would have attended with your friends Sarah or Kie.

You decided to make the most of this unexpected moment of respite and spend the evening quietly in your room. You reached for one of the books from your collection on the shelf, a title that had been waiting its turn for a long time. Slowly turning the pages, you let your thoughts drift along with the story of the characters.

In the background, a boring TV show was playing, one whose plot did not catch your attention, but you still preferred to have it on. You didn’t like it when there was complete silence in the room — it always felt like something was missing, as if the silence was a sign of something unsettling, something that could suddenly break your peace.

And then, out of nowhere, you heard an uneasy tapping on the roof tiles outside your window. You squinted, listening carefully, but before you could think about what it might be, the sound turned into a soft but distinct knocking on the glass of your window. Worried, you set the book down and approached the window, trying to see something in the darkness. Your heart began to beat faster, and your hands grew slightly clammy as you gently opened the window.

The light from the television cast faint reflections on the face of Rafe, who was leaning against the windowsill, struggling to catch his breath. Surprised, you stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to say. Rafe Cameron, on your second-floor window in the middle of the night? This definitely didn’t bode well.

“{{user}}…” he panted, his voice low and shaky. In his eyes, you saw something you had never seen in him before — genuine worry. “I… I need your help…”