Chapter three
1661 Words
“Dr. Williams?”
The name left my mouth before I even realized I'd said it.
The nurse nodded frantically.
“Yes. It's him.”
My stomach twisted.
Mia grabbed my arm.
“Annabelle, what is happening?”
I couldn't answer.
Daniel was already moving toward the parking lot.
“Stay here.”
I followed him.
“Wait!”
He stopped and turned.
“Annabelle, I said stay here.”
“But Dr. Williams—”
“How do you know it's him?”
I opened my mouth.
Nothing came out.
Because I didn't know.
Not for certain.
But I knew the man who had given me Ethan Miller's file was Dr. Williams.
And less than an hour later, he was dead.
That couldn't be a coincidence.
Could it?
Daniel studied my face.
“You know something.”
“No.”
“Annabelle.”
“I said no.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You're lying.”
Mia stepped between us.
“She isn't lying.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You don't know that.”
“Yes, I do.”
“Mia—”
“No.” She turned toward me. “You've been keeping things from everyone for years. But I'm not letting you deal with this alone.”
Daniel sighed.
“Both of you stay inside.”
He walked away.
I watched him disappear through the doors.
Mia turned to me.
“You're coming home with me tonight.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“Mia—”
“No arguments.”
“I have a shift.”
“Call in sick.”
“I can't.”
“You can.”
“I can't just leave.”
She gave me a look.
“Your friend is literally dead, a detective thinks you're connected to a murder, and some creepy person is sending you messages.”
She pointed toward the parking lot.
“And you're worried about your shift?”
I looked away.
She was right.
But something about leaving the hospital made me uncomfortable.
Like I was supposed to stay.
Like something was waiting for me.
My phone vibrated.
I froze.
Mia looked at me.
“Don't.”
I slowly pulled it from my pocket.
Unknown number.
One message.
You called.
My eyebrows pulled together.
“I didn't call anyone.”
Another message appeared.
You always call me when you're afraid.
My hands started shaking.
Mia read the message.
“What does that mean?”
“I don't know.”
“Annabelle…”
“I don't.”
Another message.
He shouldn't have given you the file.
I looked toward the parking lot.
My heart pounded.
Dr. Williams.
The file.
The unknown number.
All connected.
Then the final message appeared.
You asked me to protect you.
I stared at the screen.
“No.”
Mia frowned.
“What?”
I shook my head.
“I never asked anyone to protect me.”
But somewhere deep inside me, a memory stirred.
A rainy night.
A dark figure.
A voice.
Tell me who hurt you.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
“Annabelle?”
I opened them.
The memory was gone.
“I'm fine.”
“You're not.”
“I said I'm fine.”
Mia didn't argue.
Instead, she took my hand.
“Come on.”
We left the hospital together.
Neither of us noticed the man standing across the street.
Watching.
***
By the time we reached Mia's apartment, it was almost midnight.
I had barely spoken during the drive.
Mia kept glancing at me.
“You know you're allowed to cry, right?”
“I don't feel like crying.”
“That's concerning.”
“I just feel tired.”
“You haven't slept properly in days.”
“I'll sleep tonight.”
She parked the car.
“Good.”
We went upstairs.
The moment we entered her apartment, she kicked off her shoes.
“I'm ordering food.”
“I'm not hungry.”
“I didn't ask.”
“Mia—”
“Annabelle, please.”
She grabbed her phone.
“You're eating.”
I smiled despite myself.
“You're bossy.”
“Someone has to be.”
She started scrolling through her phone.
“What do you want?”
“Anything.”
“That's not an answer.”
“Pizza.”
“You always say pizza.”
“Because pizza is good.”
She looked at me.
“You're finally smiling.”
I didn't realize I was.
For a moment, everything felt normal.
Just me and Mia.
No detectives.
No murders.
No mysterious messages.
No people dying around me.
Just us.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
Mia's smile disappeared.
“Don't answer.”
I stared at the screen.
It rang again.
And again.
Finally, it stopped.
A message appeared.
“You shouldn't trust her.”
My eyes widened.
Mia noticed.
“What did it say?”
I locked my phone.
“Nothing.”
“Annabelle.”
“Nothing.”
She sighed.
“You need to tell me everything.”
“I don't know everything.”
“Then tell me what you do know.”
I sat down.
For several seconds, I said nothing.
Then I whispered,
“He's been watching me since I was fifteen.”
Mia went still.
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
“Have you ever seen him?”
“Not properly.”
“Then how do you know it's a man?”
“The messages.”
“That doesn't prove anything.”
“I know.”
She sat beside me.
“What happened when you were fifteen?”
I looked at her.
“My mother died.”
Mia's expression softened.
“I'm sorry.”
“Then my father.”
She went quiet.
“Annabelle…”
“And after that, everyone who got close to me started dying.”
She stared at me.
“You think this person killed them?”
“I don't think.”
“What?”
“I know.”
Silence filled the room.
“Then why haven't you told the police?”
“Because I don't have proof.”
“You have messages.”
“They disappear.”
“What?”
“They always disappear.”
Mia looked confused.
“What do you mean?”
“Whenever I show anyone, they're gone.”
She reached for my phone.
“Give me.”
I handed it to her.
She checked the messages.
“They're still here.”
I nodded.
“For now.”
Mia looked at me.
“Then we'll screenshot everything.”
She started taking pictures.
One after another.
“See?” she said. “Now we have proof.”
I smiled weakly.
“Thank you.”
She placed the phone on the table.
“Whatever happens, you're not alone.”
I looked at her.
“You shouldn't say things like that.”
“Why?”
“Because people who get close to me—”
“Stop.”
“Mia—”
“I'm not afraid of you.”
“You should be.”
“No.”
She reached over and squeezed my hand.
“Whatever is happening isn't your fault.”
I looked down.
For the first time that night, I believed her.
Then my phone vibrated.
Mia and I looked at it simultaneously.
A new message.
“I warned you.”
Mia stood.
“Okay.”
“What?”
“I'm calling the police.”
She grabbed her phone.
My hand caught hers.
“Don't.”
“Why?”
“Because—”
The lights went out.
Mia froze.
“Annabelle?”
I stood.
“Stay close to me.”
“Is this happening right now?”
“Yes.”
The apartment was completely dark.
I could hear the sound of my own breathing.
Then—
A loud noise came from the kitchen.
Mia grabbed my arm.
“What was that?”
“I don't know.”
We stayed still.
Another sound.
This time, closer.
I reached for my phone.
The flashlight came on.
“Mia?”
“Yeah?”
“Don't move.”
I slowly turned toward the kitchen.
Nothing.
Just darkness.
I took one step.
Then another.
My phone vibrated.
I looked down.
One message.
“You called.”
My heart stopped.
I looked at Mia.
“I didn't call anyone.”
She didn't answer.
“Mia?”
I turned the flashlight toward her.
She was standing there.
But her expression had changed.
“Annabelle…”
“What?”
“I don't feel right.”
She took a step backward.
Then another.
I rushed toward her.
“Mia?”
Everything after that happened too quickly.
A shadow.
A struggle.
A sharp cry.
Then darkness.
***
I woke up with a pounding headache.
For several seconds, I didn't know where I was.
My eyes opened slowly.
The room was dark.
“Mia?”
No answer.
I tried to sit up.
Something felt cold against my hand.
I looked down.
My fingers were stained red.
My breath caught.
I looked beside me.
Mia was lying on the floor.
Completely still.
“Mia?”
I scrambled toward her.
“No, no, no…”
I reached for her.
Then I saw it.
A knife.
It was lying beside me.
My hand was wrapped around the handle.
I stared at it in horror.
There was blood on my clothes.
Blood on my hands.
Blood on the floor.
I dropped the knife immediately.
“No…”
My head spun.
I couldn't remember.
I couldn't remember anything.
The last thing I remembered was standing in the kitchen with Mia.
Then nothing.
I crawled backward, staring at her.
“Mia?”
Nothing.
My phone was lying across the room.
The screen lit up.
One new message.
I stared at it.
“Now everyone will believe you did it.”
My blood ran cold.
I looked at Mia.
Then at the knife.
Then at my hands.
And for the first time in my life...
I was afraid of myself.
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