Eve POV:
The campus was unrecognizable at night.
I'd walked these same paths all week in daylight, under the chatter of students and the clatter of staff, with sunlight spilling through the courtyards and the buildings humming with ordinary life.
Now?
Now the grounds were silent.
Too silent.
The air felt thick, heavy, like the sky itself was pressing down on me. Every shadow was stretched too long, every tree too sharp, every rustle in the grass amplified until my heart jerked against my ribs.
Boots crunching against the gravel, breath ghosting in the cool night air. The campus buildings loomed in the dark, familiar structures turned into looming beasts by the moonlight.
My boots clicked softly, then sank into the damp grass as I veered off the main walkway. My pulse echoed in my ears, louder than the owls calling from the trees. My throat was dry, my palms damp despite the chill in the air.
It was 11:50.
Ten minutes.
Ten minutes until midnight.
