Part I: The Ominous Funeral
Ryan’s car rolled to a gentle stop under the gray light of an overcast morning as he stepped out in his heavy coat. The church loomed ahead, an austere building with stained glass windows that hinted at forgotten prayers. Today, he wasn’t here to celebrate or remember a life well-lived—he was here, burdened by a swirling mix of unresolved grief and inexplicable unease.
He had always known that saying goodbye to his father, Arnold, would be hard. But as he climbed out of the car, an inner voice whispered that today, something was different. “We couldn’t even give Dad a proper funeral,” Ryan thought, the weight of loss threatening to compress his chest.
