I leaned back against the cushion, the room quiet except for the ticking of the heater. I had a feeling that Christmas was only the beginning of something much bigger, and whether I liked it or not, the unraveling had already started.
I sat there in the quiet of my living room, the soft glow of the Christmas lights reflecting off the window, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me. I knew something bigger was unfolding, something I couldn’t yet see the shape of, but it was already moving toward me.
I must have drifted half asleep on the couch, because the next thing I remembered was the vibration of my phone on the coffee table. Morning light was just starting to creep through the blinds. I blinked a few times, picked up the phone, and saw a message from Maria, my sister-in-law. It was early, earlier than she ever texted, and there were three short words that made my stomach drop.
“It is everywhere.”
I sat up straighter. Before I could respond, a second message came through.
“Someone recorded last night. They posted it in the family group.”
My heart pounded. I typed a quick, “What do you mean?” and almost immediately she sent a video.