The Alley and the Masked Man A hand slipped out from beneath the covers, reaching for the phone vibrating sharply on the bedside table. 6:00 a.m. The alarm cut through the early hush of Whitefield, one quiet corner of a city already stirring. The phone disappeared under the blanket. Silence returned. Aarav sat up, rubbing…

A few shrubs stood proud and still, resolute as the tall grasses danced in the sea’s night breeze. The wail of sirens rose across the land, drowning the breeze’s quiet murmur. A baby’s cry echoed from the dense, dark forest near the beach. A flickering light shone upon the dancing grasses at the forest’s edge…