The day was bleak, the sky an ominous shade of gray. Thunder rumbled in the distance, a warning of the storm to come. But Artemis paid no mind as she stood before her grandmother's grave, silent tears streaming down her face.
A gentle hand rested on her shoulder. She looked up to see Doctor Leonard offering a small, sympathetic smile. She tried to return it, but all she could manage was a bitter curve of her lips before turning back to the coffin.
Since her parents died when she was seven, life had been a constant descent into darkness. She had spent years in a cold, joyless orphanage, where birthdays passed like any other miserable day. When she turned fourteen, Grandma Mabel became her guardian, pulling her from that lonely existence. Artemis had loved her deeply, and despite Mabel's declining health, she had cared for her with unwavering devotion.
Now, she was alone again. Who would take in a nineteen-year-old girl?
The funeral attendees slowly departed, leaving Artemis to grieve in solitude. Doctor Leonard hesitated, torn between staying and answering the persistent calls from the hospital. Eventually, duty won, and he left with one last apologetic glance.
Artemis wept until exhaustion overtook her. Her eyes were swollen, her body heavy with sorrow. All she wanted was to sleep—to slip into a dream where Grandma Mabel would wake her with the scent of warm apple pie. The memory made her laugh bitterly as she trudged toward the old house, where the silence would remind her of just how much she had lost.
---
A sharp whisper pierced the quiet.
Artemis stirred on the living room couch, frowning at the muffled voices seeping through the window.
"Argh… what the hell is that?" she muttered, rubbing her eyes.
The whispers grew clearer. She sat up, cautiously peeking outside.
Two figures stood just beyond the window, their hushed conversation sending a chill down her spine.
"C'mon, man, the girl's inside. Her grandma just died—she's alone. What do you say?" one of them whispered.
"I don't know, man," the other muttered, exhaling a slow puff of smoke through his nose.
Artemis' breath hitched. Her ocean-blue eyes darkened.
Not these guys again.
Her pulse pounded in her ears. Stay calm. She took a slow breath, willing herself to think. The back door—I can slip out through the back.
Moving carefully, she rose from the couch and crept toward the kitchen. But as she reached the table, her elbow knocked over a cup of water.
The crash shattered the silence.
"What was that?"
"It came from inside."
Panic surged through her as she heard their footsteps pounding toward the front door. They rattled the handle, then slammed their shoulders against the wood, trying to force their way in.
Heart hammering, Artemis sprinted for the back door. Just as she reached for the knob—
CRASH!
The front door burst open.
Adrenaline fueled her as she shoved the back door open and bolted outside, barefoot in the raging storm.
Thunder cracked overhead, illuminating the forest ahead. Rain pelted her skin as she dashed into the darkness, branches slashing at her arms. Behind her, the men cursed and stumbled through the underbrush, their heavy footsteps closing in.
She didn't stop running. She couldn't.
Then—suddenly—she skidded to a halt.
A jagged cliff loomed ahead, its edge slick with rain.
The men stopped, breathing hard.
"Hey, baby," one of them cooed, stepping forward with a grin that sent ice through her veins. "Relax. We just wanna talk… have a little fun, yeah?"
His companion chuckled, eyes gleaming with something sinister.
Artemis' stomach twisted. She took a step back—
The ground vanished beneath her feet.
A gasp tore from her throat as she slipped, her body tumbling backward. For a fleeting moment, peace washed over her. No more running. No more fear.
She closed her eyes and surrendered to the fall.