All four of them gathered upstairs, surrounding Carly.
Jake crossed his arms, eyes locked onto the book in Carly's hands. "Alright, what does it mean?"
Carly flipped the book over, showing the cover as she read out the title.
"Don't Make The Right Choices At… The… Wrong… Time."
She looked up at them.
"D.M.T.R.C.A.T.W.T."
Carl's jaw dropped. "Oooooh! Now I get it! That's actually… wow. Interesting." He grinned.
Jane muttered, tapping her forehead. "That was the book I saw yesterday when we first entered the room." Her brow furrowed. "How come I didn't think of this?"
"Because you're losing it," Jake snorted. Jane shot him a glare, but Jake just shrugged. "Hey, not my fault. Facts are facts."
"Alright, enough," Carly said, flipping the book open. "Let's just check what's inside."
She started turning the pages fast, her eyes scanning for anything strange. Nothing. No notes, no hidden papers, no nothing. She shook the book upside down, but still—nothing.
Carly let out an exhausted sigh, "Great. What a hassle."
Carl rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh… what if—" He hesitated, but spoke anyway. "What if it's just a coincidence? I mean, the message said: Your next lead is at one of my usuals: D.M.T.R.C.A.T.W.T. What if that's, like… a café? A place or something?"
Everyone shifted their attention to him.
"He does have a point," Jane said, straightening up.
Jake chuckled, a small smirk creeping onto his face. "Oh wow, look at that—the version of Carl I actually like showed up. The one who thinks."
Carl puffed his chest a little, clearing his throat and adjusting his collar.
"But…" Jake added.
Carl's chest deflated. His eyes swing open. "But…?"
Jake smirked. "Well, that next lead is actually this book. Carly, go to the last page."
Carly blinked. "Alright. Last paaaage…" she flipped to the back. Her finger landed on the last sheet. It was blank. "Here?"
"Look closer," Jake said, leaning in. He tapped a spot near the center. "Red marker stain."
Carly turned back a page to find where the mark bled through. One single word was circled in the text.
"'You'?" Carly read aloud. "That's it? That's the big clue?"
"There might be more." Jane leaned in. "I mean, who randomly circles the word 'you' in a book? For what reason?"
"Keep going." Jake's voice was steady.
Carly sighed but obeyed, flipping through the previous pages. Nothing—until she reached the start of that chapter.
"There's nothing her—" She squinted. "Wait…" she flipped open the next page—the end of the previous chapter, "The word find is circled."
Jake's lips twitched into a small smile. "At the end of every chapter," he started.
"Lies a new word," Jane finished, eyes sharpening.
Carl pulled a pen from his pocket, spinning it between his fingers. "Good thing I brought my pen with me."
"And where do you plan to write that down?" Jake interrupted, raising an eyebrow.
Carl's confidence faded. He sighed dramatically and dragged himself into the boys' room. He returned moments later with a crumpled sheet of paper, muttering under his breath. "I didn't wanna walk, but fine."
He wrote down the first two words: You and find.
After scanning through a few more chapters and marking each circled word, they pieced together the full message:
Before it's too late, don't let them find you.
The room went dead silent.
"So… that's it?" Carl asked, tapping the pen against the paper nervously.
"Wait," Carly said, flipping to the book's introduction, just in case. She squinted at the first page after the table of contents. "Three dots… circled." She pointed at them. "Yup. We missed something."
Jake leaned in. "Means there's something in front of it. Check the cover page again."
They all looked over, nothing odd—except the author's name.
"Hold up." Carl pointed, eyebrows raised. "'Robert Ursel… N?'"
A single 'N' sat beside the name like it had been added after printing—slightly off-center.
"I think we're all thinking the same thing here," Carly whispered.
"Run."
They all spoke in unison.
Their eyes met, tension thick.
Jake, however, stood still. His mind was somewhere else entirely—running back to the park, the stun gun, the glitch loop, and the guys with the guns.
"Yeah…" he whispered, eyes clouding over. "That 'them' may have found us first."
He knew it was time to tell them what happened on his walk.
A couple of minutes later, the air in the room was thick with tension.
"You've got to be kidding me," Jane muttered, pacing back and forth.
"So you're telling me," Carly said, "that… whatever that wave thing was—saved your life?"
Jake leaned back against the wall, hands in his pockets. "Don't think I missed any details. That's all that happened."
Jane stopped pacing long enough to groan. "We should've cracked D.M.-whatever-the long bullshit, last night when we found it."
"Says the one who literally found the book but didn't realize it," Carl mumbled, scribbling random circles on the notepad just to keep his hands busy.
"Oh zip it, Carl." Jane shot back, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
Carly shook her head, her tone serious. "Right now, we're in danger. We don't know how serious it is, but we are in danger."
"Did you have to say it twice?" Carl gave a weak smile, trying to lighten the mood.
Carly glared at him like she was ready to throw the book at his face. "Did you have to be so stupid?"
Carl's smile faded slowly. He sighed, "Maybe I should think about my life for a second."
"Do just that," Jake said lazily, eyes half-lidded as he leaned against the wall like nothing mattered.
Jane suddenly stopped pacing. "Wait, so none of you are freaking out over the fact that they know where we live?"
Jake sighed, brushing his hair from his face. "Just because none of us has the energy to pace back and forth like you doesn't mean they're not freaking out."
Carl tilted his head, confused. "Wait. They? You mean us? Like, the four of us?"
Jake side-eyed him. "Three of…you. I'm not freaking out. Why should I be freaking out?"
"Oh, right. Why should you be freaking out?" Carly started, "Hmm... let's see. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you were the one who literally confronted maniacs who wanted to talk with guns!"
Jake shrugged, looking at the ceiling.
Carly sighed, rubbing her temples. "I swear you're gonna die from apathy, Jake."
"Maybe."
"Okay, okay." Carl stood up, waving his hands. "Let's all take a breath and process this. Whether we're freaking out… or we're freaking out."
Carly blinked. "You seriously need to start taking therapy sessions."
Carl scratched his head then palmed his face. "Right."
Suddenly, a knock came from the front door downstairs.
The whole room froze.
Carl's eyes widened. "Oh my great nachos… they're here. Oh boy. I'm freaking out. I'm freaking out. I am frea—"
Carly slapped the back of his head.
Carl paused, holding his head. "Ouch… but thank you. But still… ouch."
Jane didn't waste a second as she marched into their room and came out holding an iron bar.
Jake raised an eyebrow, letting out a low chuckle. "Are you for real? An iron bar? What are you, a burglar now? We really are way too different."
Jane rolled her eyes so hard it was a miracle they didn't get stuck. "Better to be safe than dead."
Carly raised her hand. "Uh, guys—"
"Shut up," Jane snapped, giving her a quick glare.
Jake sighed and moved toward the stairs, calm as ever. The others followed close behind.
Carl grabbed an umbrella from the hanger near the door. "Don't ask," he whispered when Jane gave him a side-eye.
They all took their positions—Jane and Carl pressed against the walls beside the front door, iron bar and umbrella in hand, ready to spring. Carly stayed back, hands crossed.
Jake gripped the doorknob and slowly turned it, his face still blank but his eyes sharp.
The door creaked open.
Jane and Carl leapt out from either side, swinging hard.
But…