The Door Was Unlocked
Mara reaches Elena's house, breathless, fingers numb from the cold.
The street is quiet.
Too quiet.
No broken windows.
No screaming.
No lights flickering.
Just… stillness.
Elena's porch light hums softly, like it always does.
Mara hesitates at the gate.
Something feels wrong—not because of what she sees…
…but because of what she doesn't.
No movement.
No urgency.
No sign that anything ever happened.
She rushes to the door and knocks.
Once.
Twice.
Harder.
"Elena!"
Nothing.
Her pulse spikes.
She grabs the handle—
It turns.
Unlocked.
Mara steps inside slowly.
"Elena…?"
The house smells the same.
Lavender. Clean. Familiar.
Safe.
Too safe.
"You came anyway."
Mara spins.
Elena stands at the hallway entrance.
Alive. Unharmed.
Watching her.
"Elena—" Mara stumbles forward, relief crashing into her. "You called me, I thought—"
"I didn't."
Silence stretches between them.
Mara's grip tightens around her phone.
"That's not funny."
"I'm not joking."
Elena's eyes don't leave her face.
"Show me."
Mara unlocks her phone with shaking hands.
The call log is open.
She scrolls—
Slower.
Slower.
Her breath catches.
The call…
is gone.
"It was right here," Mara whispers. "You called me. You were screaming—"
"I've been home all night."
Elena takes a step closer.
"Alone."
Mara shakes her head, backing away slightly.
"No. No, I heard you. You said—"
Her voice breaks.
Elena studies her.
"What did it say?"
Mara freezes.
"I thought it was you…"
"Six years ago," Elena says slowly, "you said the same thing."
Mara's stomach drops.
"No," she whispers.
"Mara…"
"You need to tell me exactly what you heard."
Mara's phone buzzes.
Both of them look down.
A new message.
Unknown Number.
Mara doesn't open it.
Because the preview is enough.
"She still thinks it's about her."