Chapter Nine: The Boy Named Ben
1144 Words
Tessa slammed the bedroom door shut and locked it with trembling hands.
Click.
The sound echoed through the silent apartment.
Her entire body was drenched in cold sweat. Her breathing came in uneven gasps as she leaned against the door, desperately trying to steady herself.
“What… what is happening to me…?”
Nothing made sense anymore.
The flowers.
The photograph.
The messages.
The man behind the Ghost Mask.
It felt as if her entire world had been turned upside down overnight.
She didn’t eat dinner.
She didn’t drink water.
She simply crawled onto her bed, curling herself into a tight ball beneath the blanket. Her body trembled uncontrollably while tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
“It’s okay…”
She whispered to herself over and over.
“Calm down, Tessa… everything will be okay…”
But even she didn’t believe those words.
Hours passed.
Sleep never came.
Instead, fear wrapped itself around her like invisible chains.
Buzz.
Her phone lit up.
A notification.
The unknown number.
Tessa’s fingers froze before slowly reaching for the phone.
Unknown Number
Seeing you today made me want to watch you every day.
Her heartbeat nearly stopped.
“No…”
Her lips trembled.
“So wherever I go…”
“…you’re going to follow me?”
With shaky fingers, she typed a reply.
Tessa: What do you get from doing this? Why are you trying to scare me?
Several minutes passed.
Then another message appeared.
Unknown Number: If you were truly afraid… you would’ve screamed the moment you saw me.
Another message arrived before she could breathe.
Instead… your eyes kept looking at me.
They didn’t ask me to leave.
Tessa stared at the screen.
Unable to move.
Unable to breathe.
She slowly lowered the phone onto the bed.
“What… does he mean…?”
She whispered to herself.
“My eyes…?”
“No…”
“That’s impossible.”
“I was terrified.”
“I should hate him.”
“I should want the police to catch him…”
Yet…
A memory flashed through her mind.
His emerald-green eyes.
His messy black hair.
The tattoo disappearing beneath the collar of his hoodie.
The way he stood completely calm inside the store…
And the horrifying truth hit her.
She could have screamed.
She could have pointed at him.
There were dozens of people inside the store.
She could have exposed him.
But she didn’t.
“…Why?”
She buried her face into her hands.
“No…”
“I’m just in shock.”
“That’s all.”
“I’m confusing fear with curiosity.”
She repeated those words until sunrise.
Yet somewhere deep inside…
She wasn’t entirely convinced.
⸻
The morning sunlight spilled into the apartment.
Tessa silently cleaned the mess she had left behind the previous night before making herself a cup of coffee.
The television continued playing in the background.
“…Breaking News…”
She absentmindedly listened while wiping the kitchen counter.
“…Another victim was discovered early this morning, only a few blocks away.”
“The murder was committed using the exact same method.”
“The killer once again left behind the same mysterious symbol.”
Tessa stopped for only a second.
Yesterday…
Those words would’ve shattered her.
Today…
They barely made her flinch.
Not because she wasn’t scared.
But because she had already looked into the killer’s eyes.
Without realizing it, she whispered,
“…How can someone with a face like that… become a monster?”
The words escaped before she even noticed.
She immediately shook her head.
“What am I thinking?”
She grabbed her backpack and left for college.
⸻
The lecture hall buzzed with conversations as students settled into their seats.
Tessa bought a coffee from the cafeteria before slipping into her usual chair near the back of the classroom.
The professor’s lecture had already begun.
But she heard almost nothing.
Her hoodie covered part of her face.
One earbud rested in her ear.
An open textbook lay in front of her, untouched.
Every thought circled back to the same person.
His eyes.
His voice.
His smile.
Snap.
A girl sitting behind her quietly pinched her shoulder.
“Ow—”
Tessa pulled one earbud out.
“The professor’s talking.”
“Oh…”
At that exact moment…
Buzz.
Her phone vibrated.
Another message.
Unknown Number
Surprise is coming, babe.
A chill ran down her spine.
Before she could process the message, another professor entered the classroom.
“Attention, everyone.”
The room instantly fell silent.
“I have a notice… and some good news.”
“The notice is important.”
“As all of you know, a serial killer has been targeting people in this area.”
“So please avoid going out alone, especially at night.”
“We want every student to stay safe.”
Uneasy murmurs spread across the room.
“Now…”
He smiled.
“The good news.”
“We have a transfer student joining us today.”
The girls around the classroom immediately straightened in their seats, whispering excitedly.
“I wonder if he’s cute.”
“I hope he’s single.”
The professor turned toward the door.
“Ben… you may come in.”
Tessa looked up absentmindedly.
Then—
Her coffee cup slipped from her hand.
Time stopped.
The boy who walked through the doorway wore an oversized black hoodie, loose black cargo pants, and a backpack hanging lazily from one shoulder.
Messy black hair framed a face so strikingly handsome it almost looked unreal.
A tattoo disappeared beneath the side of his neck.
The entire classroom admired him.
Tessa couldn’t breathe.
It was him.
The man behind the Ghost Mask.
The serial killer.
He calmly scanned the room.
For one brief second…
His eyes found hers.
A slow smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
The same smile she had seen yesterday.
The classroom exploded into whispers.
“He’s gorgeous.”
“Oh my God…”
“He’s definitely my new crush.”
The professor smiled.
“Ben, introduce yourself.”
For the first time…
The boy hesitated.
Only for a fraction of a second.
Almost as if the name didn’t belong to him.
Then he smiled politely.
“My name is Ben.”
“I transferred here from another city.”
“It’s nice to meet all of you.”
No one noticed the tiny pause.
No one except Tessa.
The professor nodded.
“Welcome, Ben.”
He looked around the classroom.
“Where would you like to sit?”
The boy’s smile slowly changed.
Warmer.
Sharper.
Far more dangerous.
Without taking his eyes off Tessa…
He raised one hand.
“Over there, sir.”
He pointed directly at the empty seat beside her.
And for the first time in her life…
Tessa truly understood what it felt like to be trapped.
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