Run: 2026-02-20-01KHXQKJ05AJPCN1JBZVSDCSV4

The Heartstone Pendant lay heavy against Rory’s collarbone, its crimson glow bleeding through her shirt like a slow, steady heartbeat. She adjusted the strap of her backpack, the weight of the takeout containers inside shifting with the motion. The standing stones loomed ahead, their gnarled oaks twisting into the night sky like skeletal fingers. Richmond Park should’ve been quiet at this hour—just the rustle of leaves, the distant hum of the city—but the air here hummed with something else. Something that prickled the back of her neck. She stepped past the boundary, the shift in atmosphere immediate. The temperature dropped, the scent of damp earth and wildflowers thickening around her. The pendant pulsed once, warm against her skin, then stilled. Rory exhaled, her breath fogging in the sudden chill. She wasn’t supposed to be here. Not at night. Not alone. But Eva had texted her an hour ago—*Meet me at the Grove. Something’s wrong.*—and Rory had come without hesitation. The clearing opened ahead, bathed in silver moonlight. No sign of Eva. Rory’s boots sank into the mossy ground as she moved deeper, her pulse thrumming in her throat. "Eva?" Her voice sounded too loud, too sharp. The trees swallowed it whole. A twig snapped. She spun, heart hammering. Nothing. Just the sway of branches, the whisper of wind through leaves. But the pendant had flared again, its heat seeping through her shirt. She tugged it free, the crimson gem catching the light. The glow pulsed, slow and deliberate, like a warning. Then the laughter came. Soft. Breathless. A child’s giggle, skittering through the trees. Rory’s fingers tightened around the pendant. "Eva, if this is a joke—" The laughter cut off. A beat of silence. Then the sound of something dragging through the underbrush. Slow. Wet. Rory backed up, her heel catching on a root. She stumbled, righted herself. The pendant burned now, its heat almost uncomfortable. The air smelled different—coppery, like old blood. She turned, scanning the tree line. Nothing moved. But the dragging sound came again, closer. "Who’s there?" Her voice didn’t waver. Good. A whisper answered, so faint she almost missed it. *"Rory..."* Her breath hitched. That wasn’t Eva’s voice. The pendant flared white-hot. She hissed, dropping it, but the chain caught around her neck. The gem seared her skin, the scent of burning flesh rising. She clawed at it, fingers slipping on the silver links. The heat spread, crawling up her throat, into her jaw— Then it stopped. The pendant cooled, its glow dimming to a dull ember. Rory gasped, pressing a hand to her collarbone. The skin beneath was unmarked, but the memory of the burn lingered. A shadow shifted at the edge of the clearing. Rory froze. The figure stood just beyond the moonlight, too tall, too still. Its limbs bent at wrong angles, joints popping as it tilted its head. The face—if it was a face—was a smear of darkness, save for two pinpricks of light where eyes should’ve been. "Eva sent me," Rory said, the lie tasting like ash. She took a step back. "I’m leaving." The thing didn’t move. Didn’t speak. But the air thickened, pressing in on her, and the pendant flared again, its light casting long, wavering shadows. The figure’s mouth stretched too wide, too many teeth glinting in the dark. Rory turned and ran. Branches lashed at her arms, roots snagging her boots. The pendant swung wildly, its glow flickering like a dying bulb. Behind her, the dragging sound started again, faster now. Closer. The thing didn’t breathe, didn’t pant—just followed, silent and relentless. She burst through the standing stones, the sudden shift in air like breaking through water. The park stretched ahead, empty and still. Safe. She didn’t stop running until her lungs burned, until the pendant’s glow faded to nothing. Only then did she dare look back. The Grove was gone. Just trees. Just night. Rory’s hands shook as she pulled out her phone. No signal. No missed calls. No texts. But Eva’s last message still glowed on the screen. *Meet me at the Grove. Something’s wrong.*