When Ellie and her family returned home from their idyllic Christmas vacation, they expected to settle back into the holiday spirit. But as they pulled into the driveway, their festive cheer evaporated.
Their house was a mess. Raw eggs dripped down the walls, the porch was covered in broken shells, and even Ellie’s carefully crafted holiday wreath was ruined, smeared with yolk.
“What the hell?” her husband Ethan muttered, stepping out of the car.
“Mom, what happened?” their seven-year-old daughter Maddie asked from the backseat, her voice trembling with confusion.
Ellie tried to mask her own panic as she looked at her two children, Maddie and five-year-old Noah. “I don’t know, sweetheart,” she said, her voice tight.
