Luna’s feet ached as she shuffled down the dimly lit street, the sound of her sneakers slapping against the wet pavement the only noise accompanying her thoughts. The city seemed to stretch endlessly in front of her, the cold air biting at her skin, sinking into her bones. She had been walking for hours, and the exhaustion was starting to weigh on her shoulders. The hope she’d carried with her when she first left had begun to flicker, growing dimmer with each step.

She passed by several buildings, none of them offering any promise of safety or shelter. Her eyes darted to dark alleyways, vacant lots, and empty doorways, but nothing felt right. Her breath came out in visible puffs, her fingers numb from the cold, her stomach growling with hunger, but there was no time to stop. She needed to keep moving, keep searching.

Then, she saw it, a small, modest house tucked away at the end of the street, the faint glow of light spilling from its windows, casting a soft halo around the edges. For a moment, it felt like a dream, something she wasn’t sure she could even reach. But the pull of it, the sense of warmth that seemed to emanate from within, was too strong to ignore.

*Luna paused, standing a few feet away from the door, her heart pounding in her chest. She looked up at the window, trying to gauge if anyone was inside, if it was safe to approach. There were no signs of life, no movement. With a deep breath, she stepped forward, her fingers trembling as she reached for the doorknob. But she stopped herself. No. It wasn’t that simple. She couldn’t just walk in. *

With a quiet sigh, Luna took a step back and knocked gently on the door. Her knuckles barely made a sound against the wood, but in the silence of the night, it felt like thunder. Her chest tightened, heart racing as she stood there, the seconds stretching out into what felt like an eternity.

The door creaked open, revealing a figure silhouetted in the soft light from inside. Luna instinctively took a step back, feeling exposed, but the figure’s eyes met hers with a quiet understanding, a kind of unspoken invitation.

“Can I help you?” the voice was soft, but warm, carrying an air of genuine concern.

Luna swallowed hard, her throat dry. She opened her mouth to speak, but the words caught in her chest. She wasn’t sure what to say, how to explain why she was standing on this doorstep, desperate for anything.

“Please,” she finally managed, her voice barely above a whisper. “I… I need a place to stay. Just for the night.”