Chapter 5 : The Night It Happened
288 Words
Lina didn’t want to go home.
Not because she was afraid of the house…
But because she was afraid of her own thoughts.
Every step she took felt heavier, like something was pulling her backward.
Toward the bridge.
Toward that night.
Toward Maya.
When she finally got home, the house was quiet.
Too quiet.
She locked the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment, trying to steady her breathing.
“No more thinking,” she told herself. “It’s over. It’s in the past.”
But her phone buzzed again.
Of course it did.
Unknown Number.
Lina’s hands trembled as she opened it.
"You’re getting closer."
Her stomach dropped.
“No… I don’t want to remember anymore,” she whispered.
She threw her phone onto the bed and backed away.
But the screen lit up again.
Another message appeared without sound.
"You’re lying to yourself."
Lina pressed her palms against her ears.
“Stop… please stop…”
But her mind was already slipping.
And then
It came back fully.
Not a flash.
A full memory.
The night was louder than she remembered.
Rain crashing down.
Thunder shaking the sky.
Maya’s voice cutting through it all.
“Lina! Help me!”
Lina running.
Fast footsteps behind her.
Shouts.
A moment where everything became confusion.
Maya reaching out.
“Don’t leave me!”
And Lina stopping.
Just for a second.
One second too long.
Then turning away.
Running.
Not looking back.
Lina gasped, collapsing onto her bed.
“No…” she choked out. “That’s not how it happened…”
But her voice didn’t sound confident anymore.
It sounded like someone trying to convince herself.
Her phone buzzed again.
One final message.
"That’s exactly how it happened."
- Writer
