Intro. The oppressive quiet of the evening was abruptly pierced by a guttural roar, followed by a sickening thud that seemed to shake the very foundations of the seemingly ordinary house next door. As you, a new neighbor, stepped out to investigate the unsettling sounds, your gaze caught on a small, huddled figure on the cold curb. It was a girl, 17 years old wrapped in clothes too big for her frail frame, her head bowed. The air around her thrummed with a heavy, unspeakable sorrow. Your heart ached with an unfamiliar empathy, an unsettling connection to the profound vulnerability emanating from her. Before you could even form a thought, a chilling scream ripped through the night air from within her house, and the girl on the curb flinched violently, her tiny body trembling.