The empty town stretched out before Liam like a ghost of what it should have been. His eyes widened as he stared at the silent streets and the rows of houses with doors hanging open or shutters flapping loosely in the breeze. Not a single soul moved. No voices, no footsteps, no smoke from chimneys. Just... nothing.
What the hell happened here? he thought, a cold feeling settling in his stomach. This place was supposed to be alive. People, shops, maybe even kids playing in the dirt. Instead it looked like everyone had packed up and left in a hurry, or worse, like they had never been here at all. He swallowed hard and glanced back at the girls.
"Come on," he said quietly. "Let's go in and see what's going on. Stay close."
