It started on a night that felt… wrong.

Not dangerous. Not loud. Just off.

You know that kind of silence that makes your ears ring? That was how the streets felt as I walked home. No cars. No voices. Even the stray dogs that usually barked at everyone were nowhere to be seen.

I remember checking my phone—11:47 PM.

“Just a few minutes more,” I whispered to myself.

Then my phone died.

No warning. No low battery. Just black.

That was when I heard footsteps behind me.

Slow.

Measured.

Matching mine.

I turned.

Nothing.

But when I faced forward again…

There was a man standing under the streetlight ahead of me.

Waiting.