Nowhere Feels Safe
972 Words
Maya’s hands were locked around the steering wheel, her knuckles white, her breath uneven. The city lights streaked past as she sped through the near-empty streets, her mind a chaotic mess of questions.
She wasn’t going home. That much was clear. Whoever that man was, he had been waiting for her outside her apartment. He knew where she lived.
The thought made her stomach turn.
She needed somewhere safe. Somewhere familiar.
Her fingers trembled as she unlocked her phone and tapped on a contact.
Ava Benson.
Investigative reporter. Colleague. Friend.
Ava picked up on the second ring.
“Maya? Do you know what time it is?” Her voice was thick with sleep, but there was an edge of concern beneath it.
Maya swallowed hard. “I need to come over.”
A brief pause. Then, Ava’s voice sharpened. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ll explain when I get there.”
Another pause. Then: “Door’s open.”
Maya hung up and focused on the road, trying to steady her breathing.
The city stretched out before her, quiet, but not silent. The kind of quiet that hummed with unseen movement. With things lurking just beyond sight.
She forced herself to shake the feeling. Not now, Maya. Get to Ava’s. Figure this out.
Ava’s Apartment – 1:37 AM
Ava lived on the tenth floor of a downtown high-rise, the kind of place that still had the faint scent of new paint and overpriced rent. When Maya arrived, the door was already unlocked, just as Ava had said.
She slipped inside, locking it behind her.
Ava was in the kitchen, a messy bun, an oversized hoodie, a half-empty mug of tea in her hand. Her sharp green eyes studied Maya from across the room.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Maya let out a breath. “I might have.”
She dropped onto the couch, running a hand through her hair. She still felt like she was in that parking lot, staring into the eyes of the man who had been watching her.
Ava sat across from her, setting her mug down. “Talk to me.”
Maya hesitated, the words caught in her throat. Where did she even start?
The call? The gunshot? The missing woman?
She pulled out her phone and searched for Victoria Langley’s name again. The report was still there. She turned the screen toward Ava.
Ava frowned. “Missing person?”
Maya nodded. “I got a call tonight. Blocked number. A woman—she was panicked, terrified. She tried to warn me about something. Then I heard a gunshot.” She exhaled shakily. “And the call disappeared.”
Ava’s brows furrowed. “Disappeared?”
“Gone. No record in my history. Like it never happened.”
Ava picked up her phone and pulled up a search tab, her fingers moving fast. She was sharp, thorough—the kind of journalist who never took anything at face value.
After a minute, she looked up. “No reports of a shooting anywhere near here tonight.”
Maya had expected that. It didn’t make it any less unsettling.
“And this woman—Victoria Langley?” Ava gestured to the screen. “You think she’s the one who called you?”
Maya nodded. “She went missing just hours ago.”
Ava’s jaw tightened. “And you think someone’s covering it up?”
Maya leaned back, pressing her fingers against her temples. “I don’t know what to think. But someone was waiting for me outside my apartment.”
That got Ava’s full attention. “What?”
“A man. Same guy from the bar. He was just… standing there. Watching me.”
Ava’s face darkened. “You’re staying here tonight.”
Maya opened her mouth to protest, but Ava held up a hand. “No arguments. Whatever this is, you’re not facing it alone.”
Maya let out a slow breath. “Thanks, Ava.”
Ava gave a small nod. “We’ll figure this out.”
3:12 AM
Maya lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling. Ava had gone back to her room, but Maya couldn’t sleep.
Her body was exhausted, but her mind wouldn’t shut off.
Victoria Langley. The call. The gunshot.
And that man.
She pulled out her phone again, scrolling through old case files, trying to place where she had seen Victoria’s face before.
Then she froze.
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
A news article from three years ago. A corruption case that had been buried before it ever went to trial. The witness?
Victoria Langley.
Maya’s pulse quickened.
She scrolled further. Another article. This one even older. A separate case. Different city. Different scandal.
Same woman.
Victoria Langley had a history of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And now, she was missing.
Maya’s breath caught.
The pieces were starting to come together.
But before she could think any further—
A floorboard creaked.
Her body tensed.
Not from Ava’s room. From the living room.
Near the door.
Maya’s blood ran cold.
Slowly, she turned her head.
The lock.
It was unlocked.
Her stomach lurched. She was sure—absolutely sure—that she had locked it when she came in.
She sat up carefully, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. The apartment was dark, but her eyes adjusted to the faint city glow seeping through the curtains.
She wasn’t alone.
Someone had been here.
Or maybe, they still were.
Maya’s breath came shallow as she reached for her phone. She needed to wake Ava. She needed to—
A shadow shifted in the hallway.
Maya’s heart stopped.
She wasn’t imagining it.
There was someone inside.
Watching.
Waiting.
And this time, they weren’t just standing across the street.
They were in the apartment.
To be continued…
- Writer
