Chapter 4: Shadows Behind the Door
Emily's breath hitched as the doorknob twisted.
Voices—two of them. One male. One female.
Click.
The door opened just a crack. A sliver of light sliced across the room, blinding her for a second.
She didn't move. Didn't breathe.
The voices hushed.
"I told you she's not ready," the woman said—low and cold, but strangely familiar.
"She wasn't supposed to see the keychain," the man muttered.
"Then clean it up."
The door shut again, not slammed this time—soft, controlled. The lock clicked.
Emily sat frozen, the air thick with the echo of their words.
She wasn't supposed to see the keychain.
Her thoughts spun like a storm. Whoever she was… she knew this wasn't random.
This was planned.
Back at the school, Lena paced outside the gym, still clutching Emily's broken phone.
Jayden approached, frowning. "What's going on?"
Lena didn't look up. "Where is she, Jayden?"
He blinked. "Who? Emily?"
"Don't play dumb." Her voice cracked with worry. "She didn't just leave. She wouldn't miss this."
Jayden glanced around. "I haven't seen her since... earlier this week."
Lena studied him. "When did you break up again?"
Jayden hesitated. "We didn't. She just... stopped talking to me."
"After you started dating Malia?"
Jayden looked away.
Lena's stomach dropped. "Jayden… where were you an hour ago?"
Back in the room, Emily worked the ropes again. Her skin was raw, but one wrist was nearly free.
Her mind burned with questions.
Who was the woman?
Why did they want her?
What were they trying to hide?
She forced her hand through the final knot—and suddenly, it gave.
Emily staggered to her feet, the world swaying.
She limped to the broken mirror in the corner and grabbed a jagged shard, clutching it like a weapon.
If they came back—she wouldn't go down quietly.
Then, from behind the wall, she heard something strange:
A phone buzzing.
Not hers.
Someone else's. On the other side.
She pressed her ear against the cold concrete, listening.
Buzz.
Buzz.
A pause.
Then a voice.
A whisper.
"You have one hour. Then she disappears."