**Chapter 1: The Stormy Night**

The stormy night had been brewing over the Outer Banks for hours, the dark clouds gathering like an ominous omen on the horizon. The wind howled through the streets of Nags Head, threatening to upend trash cans and rip the roofs off houses. John B, JJ, Kiara, and Pope huddled together in the dimly lit living room of John B's beach house, their faces illuminated only by the flickering light of the TV. "I'm telling you, it's going to be a bad one," John B said, his eyes fixed on the radar screen on his phone. "The news says it's going to make landfall right here." JJ, ever the skeptic, raised an eyebrow. "It's just a storm, John B. We've been through plenty of them." But Kiara wasn't so sure. She had a feeling of unease in the pit of her stomach, a sense of foreboding that she couldn't shake. She looked out the window, the rain starting to come down in thick, heavy drops. "I don't like it," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Pope, ever the calm one, placed a reassuring hand on her knee. "We'll be fine," he said. "The house has withstood plenty of storms." Just then, a loud crack of thunder boomed outside, making them all jump. The lights flickered and then went out, plunging them into darkness. "Great," JJ muttered, getting up to find some candles. "Just what we needed." As he lit the candles, the howling wind and pounding rain created an eerie atmosphere, making them all feel like they were in a horror movie. Kiara shivered, despite the warmth of the summer evening. Suddenly, they heard a loud knock at the door. "Who could that be?" John B wondered, getting up to answer it. But as he reached the door, he hesitated. Something about the stormy night and the ominous knock didn't feel right. He looked at his friends, who all seemed to be thinking the same thing. "Don't open it," Pope whispered, but it was too late. John B flung open the door, and a young woman stood on the porch, soaked to the bone and shivering with fear. "Please," she said, her eyes wide with desperation. "You have to help me." As John B stepped aside to let her in, Kiara couldn't help but notice the look of terror in the woman's eyes. What was she running from? And what did she want from them? The woman stumbled into the house, her eyes darting around the room as if she expected something - or someone - to be lurking in the shadows. "My name is Sarah," she said, her voice shaking. "I've been driving for hours, and my car broke down on the side of the road. I saw your house and...and I had to come here." John B nodded sympathetically, offering her a towel to dry off with. But as they waited for her to explain more, Kiara couldn't shake the feeling that their quiet night was about to get a whole lot more complicated. The wind howled louder, and the candles flickered ominously, casting eerie shadows on the walls. As they waited for Sarah to explain herself, the sound of the storm raging outside seemed to grow more intense, and Kiara felt a shiver run down her spine. Who was this mysterious woman, and what secrets was she hiding?