Then the ground shuddered. A deep, rolling groan rumbled through the house. Daniel sat up, heart hammering, as picture frames rattled on the dresser. From downstairs came the crash of something falling, followed by Claire’s startled cry. The sound grew louder, a roar that seemed to tear through the very earth.
Daniel sprinted to the window just as the yard collapsed. Soil caved inward, fence posts snapping like matchsticks, the ground spiraling downward into a widening maw. The soccer ball the boys had abandoned earlier rolled once, twice, then vanished into the darkness. The earth had opened its throat.