CHAPTER 1: THE CALL IN THE DARK

At 11:47 p.m., the line opened without a greeting.

Just breathing.

Then a whisper.

“There’s somebody under my bed.”

I had worked night dispatch long enough to know fear. This wasn’t loud panic. It was quiet. Controlled. Real.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“Mia.”

“Where are your parents?”

“Downstairs. They said I’m making it up.”

Her voice cracked—but she didn’t cry.

That was the first sign.

Kids imagining monsters scream.

Kids telling the truth whisper.

I dispatched officers immediately.

Priority.

My supervisor raised an eyebrow.

“Nightmare call?” she asked.

“Maybe,” I said.

But I didn’t believe that.

Not with the way Mia was breathing.

Not with how carefully she spoke.

“Mia, stay with me,” I said. “What do you hear?”

“They talk,” she whispered. “After it gets quiet.”

A pause.

“Scratching too.”

I looked at the address.

Perfect neighborhood.

Clean.

Quiet.

Safe.

Too safe.

And suddenly, I knew—

this wasn’t about something under the bed.

It was about something much worse.

CHAPTER 2: THE HOUSE THAT LOOKED PERFECT