of the arcade speakers matching her heart. "The mall closes in ten minutes, Cass."

Every morning, she waits by the coffee pot, hair still messy from sleep, and gives me that look. You know the one. It’s a mix of challenge and invitation, like she’s daring me to say something stupid. I always do.

In classic horror, family units are either completely absent or serve as clueless background characters. By placing a stepsister relationship at the core of the survival plot, the narrative creates immediate, claustrophobic stakes.