Chapter 1 - The Circle on the Photo
My heart thundered against my ribs like a trapped bird. The black SUV's engine idle hummed in the quiet morning air of Oak Park, its heavily tinted windows hiding whoever was inside.
I shoved the photo into my jacket pocket, hastily pulled the plastic knot shut on Evelyn’s trash bag, and backed away toward my own lawn. The driver’s side window of the SUV slowly rolled down.
It wasn't Evelyn. It was a broad-shouldered man in a sharp charcoal suit with a silver pin on his lapel—a crest depicting a stylized eagle clutching a serpent. His face was entirely devoid of emotion, his dark eyes tracking my every movement with surgical precision.
"Lost something, neighbor?" his voice was smooth, unnervingly polite, and utterly cold.
"Just... checking if the recycling truck came by," I stammered, trying to keep my voice from shaking. I forced a nervous, foolish smile onto my face, acting like a clueless suburbanite caught being nosy. "Thought I dropped my junk mail near Evelyn's curb."
The man stared at me for three agonizing seconds. He didn't blink. Then, his eyes dropped to my right jacket pocket, where the corner of the plastic sleeve was subtly poking out.
"Evelyn keeps a very tidy home, Mr. Miller," he said, using my last name before I had even introduced myself. "It would be a terrible shame if uninvited guests started digging around in things that don't belong to them. Curiosity in Oak Park can be... medically fatal."
Without another word, he rolled up the tinted window, put the vehicle in reverse, and backed out down the street at a casual pace.
I stood frozen on the frost-covered grass, my hands trembling violently. I turned toward my house. Through the kitchen window, I could see Sarah standing at the stove, pouring coffee, completely unaware that her picture was currently sitting in my pocket with a countdown marked on her forehead.
I sprinted inside, slammed the front door, and locked every deadbolt on the frame.
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"Mark?" Sarah called out from the kitchen, looking over her shoulder with a warm smile. "Did you take out the recycling? You look like you've seen a ghost."
I pulled the photo from my pocket and laid it flat on the granite countertop. "Sarah... we need to leave. Right now."
