Another restless night weighed heavy on James. Sleep had become a stranger ever since the death of his half-sister, Perry Lewis, back in 2015—a murder case the police had long since abandoned. But James couldn’t let it go. Every unanswered question gnawed at him, pushing him into a routine of late-night walks in a desperate attempt to think things through.

That night felt no different—until it did.

As he rounded a quiet corner, a sudden pressure clamped over his mouth and nose. He struggled, heart racing, but the world around him quickly faded to black.

When James came to, he found himself in a cold basement. The air was damp, the only light a single, flickering bulb above his head. As his eyes adjusted, dread slithered through him—dozens of photos covered the walls. Photos of him. Candid shots, taken without his knowledge. But what stopped his breath were the pictures of Perry—old yearbook photos, childhood snapshots—each one violently defaced, her face scratched out with thick black marker.