Danny didn't sleep.
Not really.
Even when he closed his eyes, his mind refused to rest. Every time he tried, the same images replayed the sky cracking.
The crimson light.
Her falling from nowhere.
And now…
She was in his house.
"…This is insane," he muttered quietly, staring at the ceiling.
From the other side of the room—
Silence.
Too much silence.
Danny slowly turned his head.
Abby was sitting on the floor near his bed, legs crossed, chin resting on her hand as she stared directly at him.
Unblinking.
"…Why are you still awake?" he asked.
She tilted her head slightly.
"Why are you?"
"…You're in my room."
"And?" she shrugged. "You invited me."
"I didn't invite you. You forced me."
"Same thing."
"…It's not."
Abby smirked faintly.
"You're funny."
"I'm not trying to be."
"Exactly."
Danny sighed, sitting up and running a hand through his hair.
"This is… not normal."
"Of course it's not," Abby replied casually. "I'm here."
"That's exactly the problem."
She laughed softly at that.
Not loud.
Not chaotic like before.
Just… light.
For a moment, it caught him off guard.
"…So," Danny said after a pause, trying to regain control of the situation. "Start talking."
Abby raised an eyebrow.
"About?"
"Everything," he replied immediately. "Who you are. Where you came from. Why you fell out of the sky."
A brief silence followed.
Abby leaned back slightly, placing her hands behind her as she looked up at the ceiling.
"…Another world," she said simply.
Danny blinked.
"…You're serious."
"Do I look like I'm joking?"
"…Yes."
She smirked.
"Fair."
He stared at her for a moment longer.
"…Another world," he repeated slowly. "And you just… fell into this one?"
"Not 'just,'" she corrected lightly. "There was a Rift."
"I noticed."
"Good," she nodded. "At least you're paying attention."
Danny exhaled slowly.
"Why here?"
Abby didn't answer immediately.
Her expression shifted slightly.
Subtle.
But different.
"…I don't know," she said after a moment.
That made him pause.
"…You don't know?"
She glanced at him.
For once—
No teasing.
No smirk.
"…No."
Silence filled the room again.
Danny studied her carefully.
For someone who acted like she had everything under control…
That answer felt real.
"…So you're just stuck here?" he asked.
"For now," Abby replied, shrugging lightly. "Until I figure things out."
"And until then… you're staying here?"
She smiled again.
Bright.
Mischievous.
"Looks like it."
Danny stared at her.
"…No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"…No."
"Yes."
"…You can't just decide that!"
"I already did."
"That's not how this works!"
"It is now."
Danny opened his mouth to argue again—
Then stopped.
Because suddenly—
He felt it.
That same feeling from earlier.
A shift.
Subtle.
But unmistakable.
His expression changed instantly.
"…Wait."
Abby noticed.
"…You feel it too?"
The room grew quiet.
Heavy.
The air felt… different.
Like something unseen had just entered.
Danny's heart started beating faster.
"…What is that?"
Abby stood up slowly.
Her playful demeanor—gone.
Her eyes sharpened.
Focused.
"Something followed me."
Danny froze.
"…What?"
A faint sound echoed from outside.
Scraping.
Low.
Unnatural.
Both of them turned toward the window.
The curtains moved slightly.
But there was no wind.
Danny swallowed.
"…That's not normal."
"No," Abby said quietly.
"It's not."
The sound came again.
Closer this time.
A shadow passed by the window.
Fast.
Too fast.
Danny stepped back slightly.
"…You said something followed you," he said, his voice lower now. "What exactly does that mean?"
Abby didn't look at him.
Her gaze stayed locked on the window.
Her aura…
Changed.
A faint crimson glow flickered around her.
"…It means," she said softly,
"we're not alone anymore."
The scratching stopped.
Silence returned.
But this time—
It wasn't empty.
It was waiting.
Danny's pulse pounded in his ears.
"…What do we do?"
Abby smiled.
But this time It wasn't playful.
It was dangerous.
"We deal with it."
The window shattered instantly.
CRASH.
Glass exploded inward as something lunged into the room dark, twisted, moving faster than the eye could follow.
Danny barely had time to react—
Before Abby moved.
A blur of crimson.
She stepped forward And caught it.
Her hand gripping the creature's throat mid-air.
The impact alone cracked the floor beneath her feet.
Silence.
For a split second—
Everything froze.
Danny's eyes widened.
The creature struggled in her grip, its form unstable, shadow-like, with glowing hollow eyes and jagged limbs that didn't look fully real.
"What… is that?" Danny whispered.
Abby didn't look away from it.
Her grip tightened slightly.
Her eyes glowed faintly.
"…A Rift Spawn," she said calmly.
The creature let out a distorted screech.
Abby's expression didn't change.
"And it's way too weak to be the only one."
Danny's heart dropped.
"…You're kidding."
The creature suddenly twisted violently—
Breaking free.
It slammed into the wall, then vanished into the shadows.
Gone.
Just like that.
Silence filled the room once more.
Danny stared at the empty space.
"…It disappeared."
Abby didn't relax.
If anything She looked more serious now.
"…No," she said quietly.
Her eyes scanned the darkness.
Sharp.
Alert.
"It's hunting."
Danny felt a chill run down his spine.
"…So what now?"
Abby's crimson aura flickered again.
Stronger this time.
Her lips curved slightly.
"Now?"
A pause.
Then—
"Things get interesting."
Outside Something moved again.
And this time It wasn't just one.
---
To Be Continued.