It was the one man we thought we could trust.

And he was smiling.

The light went out, and the darkness was absolute.

Only the sound of the wind remained, howling against the glass.

And the steps came closer, one by one, in the dark.

I didn’t run.

I didn’t scream.

I just held my daughter and waited for the door to open.

The handle clicked.

The door swung wide.

And the cold air of the Chicago winter rushed in to meet us.

The light from the street lamp outside cut through the darkness, casting a long, thin shadow across the floor.

The figure stood in the doorway, his silhouette sharp against the snow.

“Come with me,” he said.

And the story we thought we knew changed forever in the space of a single breath.

I stepped forward into the cold, the snow hitting my face like ice.

And the castle of secrets finally opened its doors to the wind.

We walked out into the storm, the city waiting for us in silence.

The street was empty, the cars covered in white.