Chapter 2 : The Shodow Outside
347 Words
Maya froze.
The figure had disappeared, swallowed by the darkness beyond the porch. Rain continued to fall, splashing against the pavement as if nothing had happened.
Her heart pounded against her ribs.
"Who's there?" she called, her voice shaking.
Silence.
She stepped outside, wrapping her arms around herself against the cold wind. The street was empty. The old streetlights flickered, casting long shadows across the wet road.
No footprints.
No movement.
No sign that anyone had been there.
Slowly, she turned back toward the house.
Something caught her eye.
A white envelope rested on the welcome mat.
Her breath hitched.
She was certain it hadn't been there before.
With trembling hands, she picked it up. There was no stamp. No address.
Only one word written across the front in black ink.
Maya.
She hurried inside and locked the door.
For a long moment, she simply stared at the envelope.
Finally, she tore it open.
Inside was a single photograph.
It showed Emma.
She was standing beside an old brick building Maya had never seen before.
On the back of the photograph were four words.
She trusted the wrong person.
Maya's knees nearly gave out.
"Emma..." she whispered.
A memory flashed through her mind.
A week before Emma disappeared, she had mentioned meeting someone important.
When Maya had asked who it was, Emma had only smiled.
"You'll know soon enough."
At the time, Maya hadn't thought much of it.
Now those words haunted her.
Her phone buzzed again.
Another message from the unknown number.
The clock is ticking. Stop looking... or you'll disappear too.
Maya gripped the photograph tighter.
Fear told her to delete the message and forget everything.
But another feeling was stronger.
Determination.
Someone knew what had happened to Emma.
Someone wanted Maya to be afraid.
She wasn't going to run.
Even if finding the truth meant risking her own life.
Outside, hidden behind the trees across the street, a pair of eyes watched the light in Maya's bedroom.
A quiet voice broke the silence.
"She's finally starting to remember."
The shadow disappeared into the night.
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