THE SECOND WARNING
660 Words
I stared at the message.
Stay away from him.
Whoever this was really needed to stop telling me what to do.
I typed:
Why?
The message showed as delivered.
Nothing.
I waited.
Still nothing.
"Of course."
I tossed my phone onto the bed.
I was getting tired of this.
If they knew so much, why couldn't they just tell me what was going on?
I looked at the flash drive again.
Maybe I should just throw it away.
That would probably be the smart thing to do.
No more videos.
No more messages.
No more Evan.
I reached for it.
Then stopped.
I couldn't do it.
Not after seeing Evan on that screen.
Not after hearing him say my name.
I picked up the flash drive and held it in my hand.
There had to be a reason he'd left it for me.
And if he really knew something before he died...
I needed to know what it was.
I looked at my laptop.
The third video was still open.
ASK CAMERON HAYES.
I thought about Cameron's messages.
Lock your door.
Just trust me.
Whatever he left you, don't show anyone.
He knew something.
I just didn't know what.
I picked up my phone again and opened our conversation.
I typed:
Are you still awake?
I deleted it.
I typed again.
I need to ask you something about Evan.
I stared at it.
Then I deleted that too.
I was overthinking everything.
I finally typed:
Can I see you tomorrow?
I sent it.
This time, he didn't answer immediately.
I waited.
A minute passed.
Then two.
I put my phone down.
Maybe he'd fallen asleep.
I was about to close my laptop when it buzzed.
I grabbed it.
Cameron: Yeah.
I smiled slightly.
Then another message came through.
Cameron: But not at school.
My smile disappeared.
I typed:
Why?
His reply came quickly.
Cameron: I'll explain tomorrow.
I stared at the screen.
Me: Where?
A few seconds later:
Cameron: The old diner on Maple Street. 4 p.m.
I knew the place.
Everyone in town did.
It was this small diner that had been there forever. Old red booths, terrible coffee, and the kind of pancakes people swore were amazing even though they weren't.
I typed:
Okay.
Then I hesitated.
Me: Cameron?
Cameron: Yeah?
I stared at the screen.
There were a hundred things I wanted to ask.
Instead, I typed the one thing I couldn't stop thinking about.
Did you know Evan was going to die?
The typing bubble appeared.
Disappeared.
Appeared again.
My heart started beating faster.
Then it disappeared completely.
No answer.
I stared at the screen.
"Cameron?"
Nothing.
I put my phone down.
I didn't know what scared me more.
The fact that he hadn't answered...
Or the fact that maybe his silence was an answer.
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