Whispers In The Dark

The Party

Friday nights on campus always felt louder than necessary. Music blaring from dorm windows, laughter echoing down hallways, the scent of cheap beer clinging to the air. Ethan usually avoided parties. But Liam wouldn’t take no for an answer.

“You need to get out of your cave, man,” Liam said, dragging him down the hallway. “Live a little.”

“I do live,” Ethan muttered. “Quietly. Peacefully.”

“Boringly,” Liam shot back with a grin.

The common room had been transformed—string lights draped across the ceiling, bodies swaying to music, red cups everywhere. Ethan shifted uncomfortably as they pushed through the crowd. Noah spotted them first, smiling warmly as he handed Ethan a drink.

“Didn’t think you’d come,” Noah said.

“Liam forced me.”

“Then I guess I owe him thanks.” Noah’s smile lingered, soft in a way that made Ethan’s stomach twist.

For a while, things felt normal. He chatted, laughed half-heartedly, tried to blend in. But as the night wore on, a prickling sensation crawled over his skin. The same feeling he’d had in the library—the weight of someone watching.

He scanned the room. Liam was dancing wildly in the center of the crowd. Noah leaned against the wall, drink in hand, eyes fixed… on him? And in the corner, Adrian hovered near the snacks, withdrawn but glancing over every so often.

Ethan’s heart thudded. Any of them could be—

“Ethan.”

A voice behind him, low, close to his ear. He spun around, but the crowd swallowed the source. Nobody there.

He shook his head, nerves prickling. Maybe the music was messing with him.

But then he felt it.

A slip of paper, sliding into his hoodie pocket.

His breath caught. He jammed his hand inside and felt the folded note.

Not here. Not now. He excused himself, weaving through the crowd until he found an empty hallway. Heart pounding, he pulled the paper free.

The note was short. Messy handwriting this time, rushed:

“I’m closer than you think.

You look beautiful tonight.

Don’t trust them.”

Ethan’s hands trembled. Don’t trust who? Liam? Noah? Adrian?

The sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Ethan quickly shoved the note into his pocket as Noah appeared, concern etched on his face.

“There you are. I was looking for you.”

Ethan forced a nod, his throat dry. He couldn’t tell Noah about the note—not yet. Not when the warning still rang in his ears.

Don’t trust them.

But them could mean anyone.

And whoever it was… was standing close enough in that crowded room to touch him.