Chapter 2

The fluorescent lights in the small-town police station buzzed faintly, casting a harsh glare over the scuffed floor. Elise sat on the stiff plastic chair, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She didn't look at Marlowe, who was seated a few feet away, staring at her worn-out sneakers defiantly.

The officer at the desk, a broad man with a thick mustache, frowned at them like they were delinquents who had just knocked over a convenience store. "You kids know sneaking out of school during hours is serious. We're lucky nothing worse happened."

Elise scowled but didn't respond. It wasn't like they'd broken any major laws. They'd been un-luckingly caught up in the chaos downtown and dragged here as if they'd caused the whole thing.

She wished they caught Callum too. Him and his prank playing, cheap costume wearing ass. She had almost lost her mind in the forest earlier.

Marlowe shifted uncomfortably. "I mean… it's not like we did anything that wrong. We were just out of school during lunch hours. That shouldn't be a crime."

"You were where you weren't supposed to be," Officer Harper interrupted. "Your school has already called your parents. Or whoever is supposed to be responsible for you." The last statement was specifically directed at Marlowe, his smirk a particularly nasty one.

Elise clenched her fists when her father's name was mentioned. She didn't need him here, it would have been better if they drove her back to school in a blaring siren. Her gaze drifted to the window, where the sinking sun cast long shadows across the parking lot. She knew it was only a matter of time before her father appeared, wearing that fake worry he always has on his face whenever it came to her and her shenanigans as he always called it.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and there he was—Dr. Andrew Carter, in all his medical glory. Elise fought the urge to hiss. His usual pristine white coat was gone, replaced by a slightly wrinkled shirt and slacks. He looked worried just like she had predicted, his usually composed expression cracked with something akin to irritation.

"Elise." He said tightly, giving her a quick once-over. "What were you thinking?"

"I'm fine." She replied curtly, standing up and grabbing her backpack.

He turned to the officer. "Thank you. Is she free to go?"

"She is. The other kid…" Officer Harper nodded toward Marlowe. "No one's shown up for her yet."

Elise glanced at Marlowe, guilt prickling the edges of her conscience. But she said nothing. She followed her father out of the station, leaving Marlowe behind.

The drive back was silent at first, tension hanging in the air like a storm cloud. Her father gripped the steering wheel a little too tightly, a vein pulsing in his head.

Elise knew he was mad at her and was just trying to calm himself down.

"What were you doing, Elise?" He finally asked, his voice calm but laced with exhaustion.

"Nothing." She muttered, staring out the window.

"Elise, I had to leave the hospital for this. I've got patients…"

"I said it's fine. You can drop me off and go back to the patients you care about so much. I didn't ask for your help." Her voice was sharp, cutting through his sentence like a blade.

Her father sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly. He didn't press further, perhaps realizing it was a lost battle. The rest of the ride was quiet.

Elise's mind drifted back to the chaos they'd seen downtown. She remembered the old man with the milky eyes, sprinting wildly through the streets. 

He hadn't been violent, just… frantic.

Unpredictable. 

The cars screeching to a halt around him, the shouts of alarm, the way the people had been running around in panic, it played over and over in her head. It was an unsightly sight.

What was wrong with these people?

They pulled into their driveway, the tires crunching softly against the gravel. The Price home stood on a quiet cul-de-sac, a modest two-story house painted in a warm shade of cream. It wasn't extravagant, but it was a comfortable classic space for a small-town doctor. The front yard was neatly maintained, with flower beds lining the walkway and a porch swing swaying gently in the evening breeze.

Their neighbors' houses were similar, each one spaced apart just enough to give a semblance of privacy while still feeling part of a community. 

Elise stormed out of the car without a word, letting the door slam behind her. She ignored her father's tired call of her name and climbed the stairs two at a time.

In her room, she dropped her backpack to the floor and flung herself onto the bed. The anger simmering beneath her skin refused to fade. She grabbed her phone and began searching.

It didn't take long to find headlines and stories that sent a chill down her spine:

"Mysterious Illness Spreading Among the Elderly: Milky Eyes and Erratic Behavior."

She clicked play on a video and saw a hospital room filled with Old people with the same symptoms from this morning. Some were unnaturally still, some were frantic, one thing was common with them though, the milky eyes were unmistakable. 

Elise shivered, her stomach knotting. Whatever this was, it wasn't just happening in Cedar Hollow. It was spreading fast. This was just cataracts like Ivy said, she hoped it was, but deep down, she knew it was something more.

With a new curiosity, she dug deeper into articles, youtube videos, random lives. Before she knew it, hours had slipped by. The light outside had faded completely, her room now bathed in the soft glow of her bedside lamp.

A sudden bang broke her concentration. Her head snapped up, heart racing.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Someone was at her door. The knocking was frantic, urgent.

"Elise!" a voice called, muffled through the wood.

She didn't answer. Her eyes flicked to the baseball bat leaning against the edge of her bed.

Bang!

"Elise, open the door!"

Her breath quickened as she stood, inching toward the bat. The voice on the other side didn't sound angry, but the urgency in it sent her pulse skyrocketing.

"Elise, please! It's me!"

She froze, fingers brushing the bat's smooth handle.