The gravel shifted underfoot as Will stepped out of the car, duffel bag heavy on his shoulder. The front yard was immaculate. The hedges trimmed. The white siding clean. Everything about it screamed normal, so loud it felt like a lie.

Joyce lingered by the car, one hand resting on the open door. Hopper came around the front, nodding at the house like he was approving a perimeter.

Behind them, the screen door creaked. Karen Wheeler appeared, wiping her hands on a dish towel, smile bright but a little too quick.