[Late Afternoon]
Lyra couldn't stay inside anymore.
The walls felt closer than they should have, the quiet pressing in on her thoughts until every sound felt too loud, every pause too long.
Rogan had gone somewhere an hour ago and hadn't come back yet.
She grabbed her jacket and slipped outside.
….
[Outside]
The air was cool, sharp enough to clear her head as she walked down the street, letting her steps slow, her breathing steady.
She didn't go far, just around the block and enough to feel like the world still existed beyond questions no one would answer.
At first, everything felt normal, cars passed, someone laughed somewhere nearby and a dog barked in the distance.
Then the feeling came and Lyra slowed.
It felt like the moment before someone says your name, not the sound, but the certainty that it's coming.
Her shoulders tightened instinctively as she kept walking, telling herself not to turn around, not to give in to nerves.
She reached the corner and stopped.
