ruins of our lives

The sun was sinking low, turning the sky a pale orange as Lily, Mara, Nia, and Elara walked home together from school. Their footsteps were heavy, crunching over the dry leaves scattered across the pavement. The air was crisp, and the faint scent of woodsmoke curled in from somewhere nearby, but it did little to calm the uneasy tension that hung between them.

"I don't get why Stacy didn't show today," Nia muttered, kicking a pebble down the street. Her voice had an edge of concern that she tried to hide under a layer of casualness.

"She wouldn't just ditch," Mara replied, her brows knitting together. "Stacy always tells me when she's gonna do something like that. She was fine yesterday—just a little mad her parents were leaving."

"Yeah," Elara added. "She said she was sick of her aunt treating her like a kid, so she stayed home against their wishes. She wasn't acting weird or anything."

Lily nodded. "She didn't seem like she was planning to disappear."

They turned onto Stacy's street, and immediately, something felt off. Stacy's house stood at the end of the block, dark and looming. The porch light was off, which was unusual; Stacy's parents always kept it on after sunset. The mailbox was wide open, with envelopes and papers strewn across the grass, fluttering like lost feathers.

"Why's the mailbox like that?" Elara asked, frowning.

"Dunno," Lily replied, her stomach twisting. "That's not like Stacy."

"Maybe she got mad and tossed the mail around?" Nia suggested, but even she didn't sound convinced.

Mara, always the brave one, was already moving ahead, climbing the porch steps slowly. "Stace?" she called, voice tight. "You here?"

Silence.

Lily followed cautiously, eyes scanning the surroundings. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw it—the front door was cracked open, almost hanging off its hinges. As they got closer, she noticed shards of broken glass scattered across the porch, twinkling like evil little stars.

"Guys…" Lily whispered, a tremor in her voice, "the door's open."

Elara hesitated. "Should we… call her aunt or something? I mean, if she left in a hurry—"

"No," Lily cut in. "We should check inside first. Just in case she's… here."

The others nodded, and Lily reached out, pushing the door open with a slow creak. The inside of the house was a mess—like a storm had torn through. The entryway table was overturned, papers scattered, and the usual cozy feel of Stacy's home was gone. Everything felt wrong.

"Holy crap…" Mara breathed, stepping in carefully.

They moved deeper into the house, each step hesitant and echoing in the eerie silence. The kitchen was a disaster—cabinets flung open, drawers hanging out, and a plate of half-eaten food on the floor.

"Was she looking for something?" Elara asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lily shook her head. "This… this isn't like her."

Nia, who had been quiet, suddenly gasped. "Guys… look at the fridge."

They turned to see what she was pointing at. The fridge door was slightly open, and Lily moved closer, peering inside. Milk was spilled, eggs smashed on the shelf. But it was what wasn't there that caught her eye—the emergency money jar Stacy's mom always kept on the top shelf was missing.

Lily muttered, a cold sweat breaking on her forehead. "They took stuff."

"Or someone," Mara added, a dark edge to her voice.

Nia bit her lip, looking around nervously. "Maybe we should just tell our parents. I mean, this is getting really freaky."

Lily hesitated. "Yeah… but we gotta know first. Just in case she's hurt or something. We don't want everyone freaking out."

They moved further into the house, every room telling a new story of chaos. The living room was the worst—picture frames shattered, the TV knocked over, and Stacy's favorite chair lying on its side.

Elara frowned, pointing to the window. "The curtains… why are they ripped like that?"

Mara leaned closer. "Looks like someone tried to yank them down or… or look outside?"

Suddenly, Lily noticed something dark and sticky on the floor near the back door. Her heart pounded harder as she knelt down, her fingers brushing against the cold, tacky surface. Blood.

"Guys…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "This is blood."

Elara's eyes went wide. "We need to get out of here. Like, right now."

Mara grabbed her arm. "No. We don't leave her if she's hurt. But… we need to be smart. Let's check upstairs real quick."

They slowly made their way up the stairs, each step creaking louder than the last. The hallway at the top was dark, only a sliver of dying daylight filtering through a cracked window. They headed toward Stacy's room, the door half-closed.

Pushing it open, Lily's breath caught. Stacy's room, usually so neat and organized, was in shambles. Her bed was unmade, her books and clothes scattered everywhere, and her window was wide open, the curtains flapping in the breeze. On her desk, her phone lay, the screen cracked as if it had been dropped or thrown.

"Why would she leave her phone?" Elara whispered. "She never leaves it behind."

Mara's face darkened. "Someone else was here. I'm sure of it."

Lily's eyes scanned the room, landing on a poster that hung half-torn from the wall—one of Stacy's favorites, a band they all loved. Her gaze flicked to the bedside table, and she noticed the small jewelry box Stacy kept was gone.

"She loved that box," Lily murmured. "Always kept it right there…"

Nia's hands were shaking. "We need to go. Let's just tell our parents, okay? They'll know what to do."

Mara nodded, finally relenting. "Yeah… yeah, let's get out of here. This is too much."

As they turned to leave, Lily glanced back at the window. Something about it nagged at her. And then she saw it—a faint, dark handprint smudged on the glass, like someone had pushed it open from the inside.

Her heart raced. "Guys… there's a handprint. Someone… someone was trying to get out."

They hurried down the stairs, the urgency finally hitting them full force. As they reached the front door, they noticed something else—a smear of blood on the porch, leading down the steps and toward the bushes.

Lily's breath hitched. "There's more outside."

They moved cautiously, following the trail, until they reached the bushes. But the blood stopped there, as if whoever—or whatever—had left it had disappeared into the night.

Elara's voice quivered. "What… what do we do now?"

Mara took a deep breath. "We go home. Tell our parents. And we don't come back here until we know it's safe."

Lily nodded, but something in her gut told her this was just the beginning. She couldn't shake the feeling that whatever had happened to Stacy, it wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

And as they hurried down the street, she swore she heard something—just a faint whisper carried on the wind, like a distant echo.

But when she turned around, the house was silent and still, bathed in the cold, creeping shadows of dusk.

Lily's hooves pounded against the cracked sidewalk, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she sprinted toward her house. The cold air stung her lungs, but she didn't care. All she could think about was Stacy's house, the blood, and the horrible emptiness inside. Her mind was racing, images flashing by—Stacy's door left wide open, the shattered glass, the heart-wrenching sight of her necklace lying in the grass. She needed to get home, needed to find her mom.

As she rounded the corner onto her street, she felt her chest tighten with panic. What if it wasn't just Stacy? What if something had happened to her family, too? She pushed herself harder, her hooves slipping slightly on the wet leaves scattered across the pavement.

Finally, she reached her front yard and nearly tripped over the edge of the walkway. She scrambled up the steps, threw open the door, and burst inside.

"Mom!" she shouted, her voice high and frantic. "Mom, where are you?!"

Her mother appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish towel, a look of concern already etched on her face. "Lily? What's wrong?" she asked, stepping closer.

Lily's heart was hammering so hard it felt like it might burst out of her chest. "Mom, it's Stacy—her house—something bad happened! It was… it was all messed up, and there was blood. We found blood!" Her words tumbled out in a rush, her voice cracking.

Her mother's eyes widened, and she dropped the towel. "Blood? What do you mean, blood?" She grabbed Lily's shoulders, trying to steady her. "Slow down, sweetheart. Tell me exactly what you saw."

Lily's legs felt like they were going to give out, and she leaned against the doorframe for support. "Her front door was open, and… and everything was broken. There was glass everywhere, and her stuff was thrown around like someone was looking for something. And then, outside, on the porch—there was blood, Mom. A lot of it."

Her mother's face paled. "Oh, my God… did you see Stacy? Was she there?"

Lily shook her head, her eyes welling up with tears. "No. No, we didn't see her anywhere. Just… just her stuff, her necklace. The one she always wears, it was on the ground outside. Mom, it's bad, I know it's bad."

Her mother's grip tightened, a mix of fear and determination in her eyes. "Okay. Okay, listen to me, Lily. I'm going to call the sheriff. We need to let them know right away. You did the right thing coming straight here."

Lily shook her head quickly, panic surging up again. "No, we… we weren't sure if we should call the police. What if… what if Stacy just went somewhere? What if this is all a mistake?"

Her mom pulled her closer, smoothing back her hair with a shaky hand. "Honey, if there's blood and her house is wrecked, we can't just assume everything's fine. We need to act now."

"But, Mom, what if she's just out? What if she comes back and everything's fine?" Lily's voice was small, filled with a fear she couldn't hide.

Her mother sighed, pressing her lips together. "I know, sweetie, but we can't take that chance. I'm going to call, alright? Just stay here with me."

Lily nodded, feeling a tear slip down her cheek. She clutched her mom's arm, her whole body trembling. "I just… I just don't want anything bad to happen to her."

Her mom held her close, squeezing tight. "I know, baby, I know. We'll figure this out. I promise."

As her mom reached for the phone, Lily stared at the wall, her mind spinning with thoughts of Stacy. She could still see the dark smears on the porch, the way the necklace glinted in the fading light. And she couldn't shake the feeling that, whatever had happened to Stacy, it was just the beginning.