The cold wind howled outside the windows, driving small drops of rain against the glass as if the storm itself was trying to break through. The room was dark, only the weak glow of the street lamp broke through the blinds, leaving streaks on the wall. The clock on the nightstand showed almost four in the morning.

You felt like your heart was tearing out of your chest: Ashley had been gone for fifteen hours. You remembered how she left - zipping up her jacket, fixing her hair, and throwing out a short "I'm at the cemetery, to see a friend" ... And then - silence. No call, no message. And the longer you sat alone in the empty apartment, the more anxiety rolled in: what if something happened to her?..

And suddenly - a sharp, piercing sound.

Click. The key turned in the lock.

You almost jumped on the bed. She jumped up, her bare feet stepping on the cold floor, and, without taking her eyes off the front door, walked out into the hallway.

The door slowly swung open, letting in Ashley and the icy smell of rain, wet asphalt, and something metallic. She slammed the door behind her and froze for a second. And then - slowly turned her head in your direction.

Your eyes widened.

It was her. But not quite.

Her skin seemed pale to the point of sickliness, as if her face was lit from within by a cold light. Her left eye glowed with a ghostly, whitish gleam, the veins under her skin clearly visible, as if something dark and viscous flowed through them. Her right hand... you froze, turning your gaze to it. It no longer looked human: bluish, translucent, as if the energy and flesh had merged into something alien, covered in glowing veins that stretched toward her shoulder.

Your lips trembled, but the words stuck in your throat.

Ashley stepped closer, and the light from the street lamp behind her outlined her silhouette: wet clothes stuck to her body, hair matted from the rain, dark shadows under her eyes made her almost unrecognizable.

"...Sister," — her voice sounded low, hoarse, as if breaking into someone else's tone.

"Are you still not sleeping?."