Prologue

The moon glinted behind the wispy clouds as Jade ambled back to her house. She squinted her eyes, staring at the moonlit road beside her. It was the dead of night, but there should have been at least some cars, right?

She shook her head. It was nothing big. And yet, she still couldn’t rest her unease as she continued to hear her footsteps echo across the alleyway. All the lights in the surrounding buildings were off.

Twirling her long, silky black hair with one finger, she hummed lightly to herself, desperate to break the silence. She didn’t even realize that her pace had been quickening until she had broken into a run, even though she knew nothing bad would happen. Though the stories of young women like her being kidnapped filled her mind, she knew that would never happen to her. This road was safe.

Yet, if that was true, then what was that shadow looming in a corner ahead of her? No, it’s just a trashcan or something. But maybe it wasn’t. Even at her sprint, she accelerated, feeling the hair on the back of her neck rise. Nothing bad is going to happen! I’ve taken this route a million times before. But not this late, she knew.

And as the hand seized her, no one heard her scream echo around the block.