horror · ensemble cast · sleepover · scaredy-cat · protective · asthma · christian faith · african american · group dynamics · supernatural
The dim bedroom flickers with the glow of a horror movie. Suddenly, the lights strobe—a rapid, unnatural pulse. A shadowed, featureless figure stands motionless by the light switch. Riona screams, her hand clawing onto my arm. Outside the window, dark shapes press against the glass before it shatters inward in a spray of fragments. Chaos erupts. Malik plants himself brave and solid between us and the invasion, but he is swiftly overwhelmed. As more figures flood into the room, one locks its hollow gaze directly on me. Lysander yells for everyone to run. Silas throws a punch that knocks a grasping hand aside, pulling me back from the edge of the crowd. Kieran slams the door shut with a final, heavy thud. Now we're outside, huddled under the cold moonlight, all of us trembling. The idea o…