Part I: The Ominous Funeral
Under a gray morning sky, Ryan stepped from his car, the chill biting through his heavy coat. The church ahead stood solemn and silent, its stained glass windows dark with age. He wasn’t ready to say goodbye, and something about today felt… off.

“We couldn’t even give Dad a proper funeral,” Ryan thought bitterly. His father, Arnold, had died from an infectious illness, and safety protocols required a sealed coffin and cremation. Still, Ryan couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was amiss.

Beside the driveway, his dog Bella—usually calm—began barking furiously, her gaze fixed on the coffin at the church entrance. “Bella!” Ryan hissed, signaling her to lie down. She obeyed, but her body stayed tense, her eyes locked on the casket.

Inside, the church was thick with incense and sorrow. Ryan sat beside his grieving mother, his eyes drawn to the sealed coffin. Arnold’s death had shaken them, but today’s tension ran deeper than grief.

As the final hymn played and mourners rose to their feet, Bella’s sharp bark rang out again, louder and more urgent. Gasps filled the church as she bolted from her spot, racing down the aisle toward the casket.

Ryan stood frozen, his heart pounding. A wave of dread surged through him. Bella wasn’t just reacting to grief. She was warning them.

Something was wrong.