Rafa's POV:
Then after a while CJ led us to a room we had never seen before.
It was dark. Very Dark.
We then suddenly heard a creak...
It was no one there.
Only us--
I then suddenly got a text
Message: 📩
From: Unknown
"I see you.."
I show the rest of them the picture but then i get sent a picture of us...
Here.
In this place..
No one spoke for a second.
"…that's not funny," Sam said quietly.
"I didn't send anything," CJ said, holding up his hands.
"Me neither," Felix added.
Keagan stepped closer to me. "Let me see the picture again."
I looked down at my phone.
The image was still there.
All of us.
Standing in the room.
From behind.
My stomach dropped.
"…someone's here," I whispered.
Calix immediately turned toward the door.
It was still closed.
No one there.
"But we didn't hear anyone come in," Felix said.
"And there's nowhere to hide," Sam added, glancing around.
The room was empty.
Just old desks, stacked chairs, and darkness in the corners.
Another creak echoed.
This time, louder.
We all turned at the same time.
It came from the far side of the room.
CJ took a step forward. "Okay, who's there?"
No answer.
"Don't do that," I said quickly, grabbing his sleeve. "This isn't funny anymore."
"I'm not joking," he said, his voice lower now.
My phone buzzed again.
📩 Message: Unknown
I hesitated.
"Don't open it," Keagan said.
Too late.
I already had.
Another picture.
This one closer.
Much closer.
You could see our faces.
My grip tightened around the phone. "They're getting closer…"
"Show me," Calix said.
I turned the screen toward them.
Felix's smile was gone.
"That was not taken from the door," he said.
Sam shook his head slowly. "No… that's like—right next to us."
A cold feeling crept up my spine.
CJ looked around again, this time more carefully.
"Okay… I officially don't like this place anymore."
"No way," Keagan said. "We're leaving."
He grabbed the door handle and pulled.
It didn't move.
"…what?" he said, pulling harder.
The door stayed shut.
"Try again," I said.
"I am trying."
He pushed this time.
Nothing.
The room felt smaller.
Quieter.
My phone buzzed again.
No one spoke.
I didn't want to check.
I really didn't.
"…open it," Felix said quietly.
I swallowed and looked down.
📩 Message: Unknown
"Don't leave."
The lights flickered.
And then—
they went out.
The darkness swallowed everything.
Not dim.
Not shadowy.
Pitch black.
Someone gasped.
"Okay—nope. Nope. I can't see anything," Sam's voice came out shaky.
"Don't move," Calix said immediately. "No one move."
"I'm already not moving," Felix muttered. "I physically can't."
I tightened my grip on my phone, the faint glow from the screen barely lighting up my hands.
It wasn't enough.
Not even close.
"Rafa," Keagan said quietly, somewhere to my left. "Stay where you are."
"I am," I whispered back.
A sound echoed.
Not the creaking from before.
Something else.
A soft… dragging noise.
Like something moving across the floor.
CJ's voice dropped. "You guys hear that, right?"
No one answered.
We all heard it.
My phone buzzed again.
The sound felt too loud in the silence.
I didn't want to look.
I really didn't.
"…open it," Felix whispered.
"Why do you keep saying that?" I whispered back.
"Because not knowing is worse."
He had a point.
I slowly tilted my phone up.
The screen lit up my face just enough.
📩 Message: Unknown
I opened it.
A video.
My stomach twisted.
"Guys…" my voice came out barely above a whisper. "It's not a picture this time."
"Don't play it," Sam said quickly.
Too late.
I tapped it.
The video started.
It was dark at first—just like the room.
Then it adjusted.
And I saw us.
Standing there.
Frozen.
From across the room.
But—
that wasn't the worst part.
Something moved behind us.
Slow.
Unnatural.
Like it wasn't walking—
just… sliding.
My breath caught.
"Stop it," Keagan said. "Turn it off."
I couldn't.
I was staring.
In the video, the thing got closer.
Closer.
Until it was right behind—
The screen glitched.
The video cut.
My phone went black for a second.
Then—
📩 Message: Unknown
A single image appeared.
I felt my heart drop before I even looked properly.
"…no," I whispered.
"Rafa?" Calix said.
I turned the phone toward them, my hand shaking.
It was a picture.
Of me.
From right behind.
In the dark.
Something was standing directly behind me.
Close enough to touch.
But when I turned—
There was nothing there.
Nothing.
Just darkness.
A cold breath brushed against the back of my neck.
I froze.
Slowly—
very slowly—
I felt something move past me.
Not touching.
Just… there.
CJ's voice cracked. "Okay, I'm done. I'm DONE."
He stumbled backward, hitting into a desk.
The loud crash echoed through the room.
And then—
something responded.
A sharp, unnatural sound.
Like something twisting.
Awake.
The dragging noise came back.
Faster this time.
Closer.
"RUN," Keagan said.
That was all it took.
We all moved at once, crashing into desks, grabbing onto anything, trying to find the door in the dark.
My phone slipped slightly in my hand, the screen flickering.
For a split second—
the room lit up again.
And I saw it.
Tall.
Wrong.
Too still—
and too close.
Right in front of us.
Then the screen went dark again.
And something grabbed my arm.
I screamed.
My arm was yanked back hard—
then suddenly—
it let go.
I stumbled forward, nearly falling, my heart pounding so loud I could barely hear anything else.
"RAFA!" Sam shouted.
"I'm here!" I yelled back, my voice shaking.
"What grabbed you?!" Felix said.
"I—I don't know!" I turned around, but there was nothing there.
Nothing.
Just darkness.
Too much darkness.
"Keep moving!" Keagan's voice cut through. "Don't stop!"
I reached out blindly and grabbed onto someone's sleeve.
CJ.
"I got you," he said quickly, his voice way less confident than usual.
Another loud bang echoed as someone knocked into a desk.
"OW—okay, that was me," Sam said. "I'm fine. Probably."
"This way!" Calix called out. "The door should be—"
He stopped.
"Should be what?" I asked.
"…it's not here."
"What do you mean it's not there?!" Felix said.
"It was right here!" Calix's voice was tight now. "I'm telling you—it's gone."
"That's not possible," I said, my stomach dropping.
"It is if we're stuck," Keagan muttered.
My phone buzzed again.
The light flickered on for a split second—
just enough to show the room.
The desks.
The chairs.
All of us—
huddled too close together.
And then—
something else.
Standing at the far end.
Watching.
The screen went dark again.
"Nope," CJ said immediately. "Nope. I'm not doing this."
The dragging sound came back.
Closer.
Closer.
It wasn't slow anymore.
It was hunting.
"Spread out," Keagan said suddenly.
"What?!" I said.
"If we stay together, we're an easy target," he said quickly. "Move—now!"
"No way," Sam said. "I am NOT leaving—"
Something slammed into the floor behind us.
Hard.
Too hard.
We all flinched.
"GO!" Keagan shouted.
Panic took over.
We broke apart.
I ran forward, hands out, trying not to trip over anything. My breathing was uneven, too fast.
"Rafa!" someone shouted behind me—I couldn't tell who.
"I'm here!" I yelled back.
Another buzz.
The screen lit up again—
📩 Message: Unknown
I didn't even think.
I looked.
A live camera.
Not a picture.
Not a video.
Live.
I could see the room.
From above.
Like something was watching us from the ceiling.
Moving.
Following.
Tracking.
My heart dropped.
"It can see us," I whispered.
"What?!" Felix's voice came from somewhere to my right.
"It's watching us—it knows where we are!"
The dragging sound stopped.
Silence.
Dead silence.
That was worse.
Way worse.
Because now—
it didn't need to search.
It already knew.
A whisper echoed through the room.
Right next to my ear.
"I see you."
I froze.
My whole body locked up.
Slowly—
my phone screen lit up again.
The camera view zoomed in.
On me.
Alone.
And behind me—
something started to move out of the dark.
Suddenly Felix turned on the light "I AM NOT FUCKING DYING IN THIS SHIT ASS SCHOOL!"
I quickly looked up. It was our teacher. Mrs Smith, the one we had an hour ago.
"WHAT THE FUCK?!!?" I said looking up at her, she then came down before she could say anything Felix suddenly punched her knocking her out and fainting.
"What the--" Before i could finish all of them started to beat her up, she was bleeding and she had already fainted.
But there was something wrong...
She wasn't reacting.
Not even a little.
No movement. No sound. Nothing.
"STOP!" I shouted, grabbing Felix's arm. "Stop—what are you doing?!"
They all froze.
Felix stepped back, breathing hard. "I—I thought—she was—"
"A monster?" Keagan finished, his voice low.
Silence.
CJ looked down at her. "…she was just standing there."
Too still.
Too quiet.
Calix frowned, crouching slightly. "No one just stands like that in the dark."
Sam shook his head. "She didn't even flinch when we screamed."
I swallowed.
Something twisted in my stomach.
"Guys…" I said slowly, "what if—"
My phone buzzed.
Loud.
Sharp.
We all looked at it.
📩 Message: Unknown
My hands were shaking as I opened it.
A video.
Again.
"No," Felix muttered. "Don't—"
I pressed play.
The screen lit up.
It showed the room.
From the same angle as before.
All of us.
Standing there.
Around—
Mrs. Smith.
Except—
in the video—
she was still standing.
Right where we first saw her.
Not on the floor.
Not bleeding.
Just… watching.
My breath caught.
"…guys," I whispered.
"What?" CJ said.
I slowly turned the phone toward them.
They saw it.
And went silent.
"Then who—" Sam started.
A sound cut him off.
Right behind us.
A slow—
wet—
breath.
We all turned.
Mrs. Smith's body—
on the floor—
twitched.
Once.
Then again.
Felix stumbled back. "Nope. Nope, I'm done. I'm actually done."
Her arm bent.
Wrong.
Too far.
A crack echoed.
Her head tilted slightly—
then snapped to the side.
Facing us.
Even though she was still on the ground.
Her eyes—
were open.
But they didn't look right.
Too dark.
Too empty.
CJ's voice dropped to a whisper. "We shouldn't have touched her…"
The lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then stayed on—
just enough for us to see her body slowly—
slowly—
starting to move.
Not like a person.
Like something trying to remember how.
My phone buzzed again.
I didn't want to look.
I really didn't.
But I did.
📩 Message: Unknown
"Wrong one."
My stomach dropped.
"What does that mean?" Keagan asked.
I couldn't answer.
Because behind him—
something else moved in the reflection of the window.
Tall.
Still.
Watching.
The real one.
And it was already inside the room.
No one moved.
No one even breathed.
Keagan slowly turned.
"…don't," I whispered.
Too late.
He looked.
And whatever he saw—
made him step back immediately.
"…that's not her," he said.
My heart was pounding so hard it hurt.
"Then what is it?" Sam asked, his voice barely holding together.
No one answered.
Because we all saw it now.
In the reflection.
Too tall.
Too still.
Head slightly tilted—
like it was studying us.
Learning us.
CJ grabbed my arm. "Okay—new plan. We leave. Now."
"We tried that," Felix said. "Door doesn't work, remember?!"
"Then we find another way!"
Behind us—
Mrs. Smith's body let out a sharp, unnatural crack as it pushed itself up.
We all flinched.
"Don't look at it," Calix said quickly. "Just don't—"
Another buzz.
📩 Message: Unknown
I stared at it.
"…what now," I whispered.
"Don't open it," Keagan said.
I hesitated.
Then I opened it anyway.
This time—
it wasn't a picture.
Not a video.
Just text.
"One of you let me in."
My chest tightened.
"…what?" Sam said.
CJ shook his head. "No. Nope. That's not funny."
"Who would do that?" Felix said.
Silence.
A slow realization started creeping in.
We all looked at each other.
One by one.
"…we were all together," I said. "The whole time."
"Were we?" Calix said quietly.
That hit harder than anything.
Because—
we weren't.
Not always.
There were moments.
Hallways.
Classrooms.
The free period.
When we split up.
When someone could've—
My phone buzzed again.
📩 Message: Unknown
"Guess."
Keagan exhaled sharply. "We don't have time for games."
Behind us—
Mrs. Smith's body took a step.
A real step this time.
Closer.
Wrong.
Everything about it was wrong.
"Think!" Calix said. "Who left? Even for a minute?"
Sam shook his head. "I stayed with you guys the whole time—"
Felix cut in. "Same here."
"I was with Rafa," CJ said quickly.
I nodded. "Yeah—he was."
Keagan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Calix?"
Calix looked up. "What?"
"You disappeared earlier," Keagan said.
There was a pause.
A small one.
Too small.
"I went to get water," Calix said.
"For how long?" Felix asked.
"…a few minutes."
The room felt colder.
Calix frowned. "You don't seriously think—"
Another buzz.
Louder.
Sharper.
📩 Message: Unknown
I opened it slowly.
A picture loaded.
My breath stopped.
It was from earlier.
The hallway.
Calix—
standing alone.
At the water fountain.
But behind him—
something was already there.
Watching him.
Waiting.
I turned the screen toward the others.
No one spoke.
Calix stared at it.
"…I didn't see that," he said quietly.
"I believe you," I said.
CJ didn't.
"You led us here," he said slowly.
Calix looked at him. "What are you implying?"
"I'm saying this whole thing started when we followed you," CJ snapped.
"That's not fair," Sam said.
"Isn't it?"
The air shifted.
Tense.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
Behind us—
the thing in Mrs. Smith's body took another step.
Closer.
And in the reflection—
the taller one tilted its head again.
Like it was enjoying this.
Like it was waiting.
For us to turn on each other.
My phone buzzed one last time.
I didn't want to look.
But I did.
📩 Message: Unknown
"Warmer."
I looked up slowly.
At Calix.
"…what happened at the water fountain?" I asked.
He didn't answer right away.
And that—
was enough to make everything worse.
"No."
My voice cut through everything.
Sharp.
Louder than I expected.
"We're not doing this."
They all looked at me.
Even Calix.
"We are NOT turning on each other," I said, my hands shaking but my voice steady. "That's exactly what it wants."
CJ frowned. "Rafa—"
"No," I said again. "Think about it. The messages, the pictures, the way it's watching us—this is all to mess with us."
Keagan's jaw tightened, but he didn't argue.
Felix glanced between us. "So what, we just… trust everyone?"
"We don't have a choice," I said. "Because if we start blaming each other, we're doing its job for it."
Behind us, Mrs. Smith's body dragged one step closer.
No one looked.
No one wanted to.
Calix exhaled slowly. "…she's right."
CJ hesitated.
Then nodded once. "Fine. No blaming."
Sam rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay… okay, yeah. Stick together."
For a second—
it felt like we had control again.
Like we weren't completely falling apart.
My phone buzzed.
Again.
But this time—
I didn't feel scared.
I felt… angry.
I opened it.
📩 Message: Unknown
"Boring."
My eyes narrowed.
"Yeah?" I muttered under my breath. "Not getting what you want?"
The typing bubble appeared.
Then stopped.
Then—
another message.
📩 Message: Unknown
"You always ruin things."
I froze.
That—
was different.
Not creepy.
Not vague.
Personal.
Too personal.
"…what?" Felix said.
I didn't answer.
Because something clicked.
Hard.
Fast.
A memory.
A voice.
A feeling I hadn't thought about in a while.
My grip tightened on my phone.
"No way…" I whispered.
CJ looked at me. "What?"
I slowly looked up.
"It's not just… a thing," I said. "Someone's doing this."
Keagan frowned. "We figured that much."
"No," I said, shaking my head. "I know who."
The room felt even colder.
"Who?" Sam asked.
I swallowed.
"…Ella."
Silence.
Felix blinked. "Ella… as in—?"
"My old enemy," I said. "She hated me."
"Hated?" CJ repeated. "As in past tense?"
I let out a quiet breath.
"…no."
Another buzz.
📩 Message: Unknown
The name changed.
No longer "Unknown."
Now it said:
📩 Ella
A picture loaded.
My heart dropped.
It was us.
Right now.
But this time—
you could see her.
Standing in the corner of the room.
Half-hidden in the dark.
Watching.
Smiling.
A slow, twisted smile.
Sam stepped back. "Okay—nope. I don't like that."
Keagan's voice was low. "How is she doing this?"
"I don't know," I said. "But she's been planning this."
CJ looked around the room again. "So this whole place—"
"Wasn't random," Calix finished.
A soft sound echoed.
Not the dragging.
Not the creaking.
Footsteps.
Light.
Slow.
Coming from the corner.
Where the picture showed her.
We all turned.
The darkness there seemed… deeper.
Thicker.
And then—
she stepped forward.
At first, it looked normal.
Just a girl.
But something was off.
The way she moved—
too smooth.
Too controlled.
Her eyes locked onto mine.
"Hi, Rafa," she said softly.
My chest tightened.
"…Ella."
She smiled wider.
"I've been waiting."
She tilted her head, smiling like this was all some kind of game.
"Do you remember," Ella said softly, taking another step closer, "or did you forget already?"
"Don't," I said, my voice low.
"Oh, come on," she continued. "You always do that. Act like nothing happened. Like you didn't—"
"Stop."
My hands were shaking.
Behind me, I could feel the others tense up.
But she didn't stop.
Of course she didn't.
"That day?" she said, her voice almost mocking now. "When everyone chose you instead of me? When you just stood there and watched—"
"SHUT UP."
The word came out louder than anything I'd said before.
Echoing.
Sharp.
The room went completely still.
Ella smiled.
Like that's exactly what she wanted.
"You hate when people remember, don't you?" she said quietly. "When they see what you really are."
Something snapped.
I didn't think.
I didn't hesitate.
I just moved.
My fist connected with her face—
hard.
The sound echoed through the room.
Ella hit the ground instantly.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unreal.
Everyone froze.
"Rafa—" Sam started.
Ella didn't move.
For a second—
I thought—
I don't even know what I thought.
Then—
a thin line of blood started to spread across the floor beneath her.
CJ stepped back. "…you just—"
"I know," I said, breathing uneven.
I stared at her.
Waiting.
For her to laugh.
For her to get back up.
For something.
But she didn't.
She just lay there.
Still.
Too still.
Keagan's voice dropped. "That didn't feel… right."
Calix crouched slightly, eyes narrowed. "No… it didn't."
Felix shook his head slowly. "She didn't even try to dodge."
That feeling came back.
The same one from before.
Wrong.
Everything about this was wrong.
My stomach twisted.
"…Ella?" I said quietly.
No response.
Another buzz.
My phone.
Of course.
I looked down slowly.
📩 Message: Ella
"That wasn't me."
My breath caught.
"What?" CJ said.
I turned the phone toward them.
They saw it.
And went silent.
A soft sound echoed behind us.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Deliberate.
From the darkness again.
My heart started pounding.
"…then who did I just hit?" I whispered.
No one answered.
Because—
we all knew.
Something was pretending.
Again.
And the real Ella—
was still somewhere in the room.
Watching.
I then remember something
"That is her, she scheduled that message. I know her. Too well, she's planned this."