Chapter 18 Cave

• Rain trickled down my face, soaking me to my core as I stood frozen in place, staring at the empty space where the car was supposed to be parked. The headlights, the shiny black paint, the comforting shelter of the interior—all gone. Just rain and the faint outline of tire tracks leading into the darkness.
• “This can't be happening,” I muttered under my breath, unable to tear my eyes away from the void.
• For a moment, neither of us moved. Neither of us spoke. The rain filled the silence, pounding against the pavement and dripping off our soaked clothes. I turned to glance at Mr. Thorne, half-expecting some sort of reassuring comment or solution. Instead, he stood as still as a statue, his face unreadable.