Chapter Five: Echoes at Dusk
202 Words
Days passed. Fear became constant.
Celestine began documenting everything. Journal entries. Photographs. Screenshots.
She showed her mother.
But Mrs. Miller sighed. "He’s troubled, not dangerous. Maybe he’s lonely."
Celestine wanted to scream. "He’s sick. He’s watching."
Her mother offered to talk to counselor.
She declined. What good were words against shadows?
She texted Jasmine.
Cel: Can you come over tonight?
Jas: Sure. You okay?
Cel: No. But I need eyes.
That night, they stayed up late watching rom-coms. Celestine tried to laugh.
Midnight. A knock.
Jasmine froze. "Your mom?"
Celestine shook her head.
Another knock. Slower. More deliberate.
They crept to door. No one.
Then Jasmine gasped. "Window."
Curtain moved.
They ran upstairs. Locked door.
In hallway, a creak.
Celestine grabbed phone.
Dialed 911.
"There’s someone—"
Line went dead.
They waited in silence. Hours. By morning, he was gone.
On porch: There is a new box.
Inside of the box is a pair of earrings.
She had lost them two years ago.
In Tyler’s art class.
Celestine knew one thing now. This wasn’t obsession. It was ritual.
She was in story she never agreed to. It scares her. This is not normal anymore.
And Tyler had written every page.
- Writer
