
After four long months away on a business trip, Clara finally returned home.
She hadn’t told her husband or her son she was coming back.
It was almost 11 a.m. when she climbed the familiar stairs carrying a bag filled with fresh vegetables, a piece of meat, and a few foods she knew her family loved.
She imagined their surprise.
She imagined preparing a warm meal, sitting together at the table, and enjoying an ordinary family afternoon.
But the moment she reached her apartment, something felt wrong.
The Silence Was the First Warning
There was no television playing.
No music.
No voices coming from inside.
Clara knocked once.
Nothing.
She knocked again, harder this time.
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