Prologue

As the wind gently blows throughout the desolate beach, the waves wash ashore gently as if giving a cold, wet embrace to the sand below. Serenity and tranquility are ripe as the sun casts its gaze over the land one final time as it slowly shrinks over the horizon, granting passage for the night to slowly swallow what remains.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

A man and woman rest upon a white and pink mat, watching the benign waves. The lady gets up from her lying posture, stretches her back and responds with exhaustion clear in her voice.

"Yeah dad, it's really nice. Honestly, it was so worth renting this beach. No one to stare, catcall or flirt with me, and no noise. Just peace and quiet with the waves."

A hearty laugh comes from the man, half naked in stripped shorts as he sips from a glass of wine as the light aroma fills the air.

"Well, enjoy your 24th birthday present dear." He states with barely contained joy. Setting the wine aside and getting up, he continues "I'm going to head back before your mother gets angry, she's always cranky after work."

Sighing, the lady stretches her arms into the sky and rolls up her mat. "Same, mind driving me home?" 

"Of course, let's go." the father gleefully replied.

Packing their remains, the father looks up and points to the sky in awe,

"Chell, look!"

Chell, confused by her dad's cry, looks towards where he was pointing to and a slow shooting star streaks across the sky, leaving a beautiful milky white trail. 

"Woah! I never got to see a shooting star before!" Chell exclaims in excitement. 

"Alright, moments over, let's go. We both know your mother will rage worse than a volcano if we're even a minute late."

The sudden realization hit Chell as she gave the star one last gaze, not noticing it was getting larger and larger. "Right, let's go."

As they left the beach, a security guard wearing a neat black uniform and cap, with a hand on his taser looked upon the father and daughter and saluted. 

"Marshal." The guard spoke.

"Soldier." the Father replied.

"Ready to return, Sire?" The soldier spoke with immense respect in his voice.

"Correct, let's go before my wife sticks your taser up my ass." The father spoke with tire.

Hours pass as the night swallows the remainder of the city into darkness, lamp-posts illuminate the isolated streets. As the luxurious vehicle drives on smoothly across, Chell feels cold. Incredibly cold. Unbearably cold. Too tired to speak up, Chell just bares with it until the car slows down to a halt.

"Alright, we're at your apartment. Eat dinner and get some rest. You have a long day tomorrow."

"I really don't want to go tomorrow, but whatever, I guess. I'll see you later."

"Of course." The father stated with warmth. Turning his head to the front, he then ordered loud and clear "Soldier, drive me home before we're both fucked."

"Yes, Sir."

As the car speeds off into the distance, Chell makes her way into her house. Walking to her room, she changes into a nightgown and brews herself some hot chocolate. The wallpapers design is constantly changing, from spirals to spears as paintings adorn the halls. The cold still strikes her body, as if the cold claws of winter has chosen her as its avatar.

 "God I dont want to go tomorrow, if only this break would last forever." Chell groans to herself whilst walking towards her living room. Drinking her coco, she notices something... off.

"Uh..." Looking around her living room, she no longer feels alone. The silence, the haunting silence, not a thing is to be heard but her heart and shallow breathing. Empty, void of all, desolate. Not a bug to be heard, not a light to buzz, not a wind to blow. 

"Alright, looks like I am losing my mind over this. Probably the stress, I'll just... just watch some TV."

Clicking on the remote, the TV buzzes to life providing the sound she so desperately wanted to hear to clean the fear off her heart.

"...And regarding the recent events at Hollshire, many residents reported a shooting star in the sky. Various scientists has claimed that this star has actually entered the earths atmosphere and has crashlanded into a nearby privately owned beach. It is suspected to be radioactive and very dangerous. All residents are advised to avoid-"

Surprised by this information, Chell fails to pay attention to anything else the broadcaster said. "That same star hit the beach we were at? Gods, we are lucky. I need to tell father about this."

Turning the TV off, she picked up her phone to call her father until she notices that things seem lively again.

Listening out, she can finally hear the blowing of the wind, the buzzing of the lights and the rattling of the windows. Thinking it was just her paranoia from earlier getting to her, Chell decided to just sleep. She has a long day tomorrow, and she'll need as much rest as she can get. What happened can wait until tomorrow.

As she walks into her bedroom, she failed to notice on her window was a gouged out eye, staring at the couch she sat on.