Three Years Ago
The night Theo Ainsworth died, the bridge was colder than usual. Fog rolled over the river like a shroud.
He waited there, fists in his hoodie, a plastic envelope clutched to his chest. His breath came in gasps, not from the cold—but from the panic bubbling in his lungs.
He'd called Ezra three times.
No answer.
His last voicemail was a whisper:
"Ezra… I think I really messed up this time. If I don't see you, just know—I didn't jump. I wouldn't. Someone's watching. Don't trust the dares. Don't trust—"
The line went dead.
And fifteen minutes later, so did Theo.
Present Day – Monday
Kai woke up to the sound of glass breaking.
It wasn't in his dorm.
It was downstairs.
He moved fast, heart thudding as he grabbed the aluminum bat he kept behind the door. Paranoia wasn't just paranoia anymore—it was survival.
He crept out barefoot, every board underfoot creaking just enough to make him wince.
The student lounge was empty. But the vending machine had been smashed, glass littering the floor like snow.
Inside, instead of candy or soda, a single item had been shoved in:
A polaroid photograph.
Kai pulled it out.
It was a photo of Ezra.
Not recent. Younger. Standing on the south bridge… holding a bloody envelope.
Behind him, just barely visible in the fog—
—was Theo.
Kai's chest constricted.
The photo was dated exactly three years ago. The same night Theo died.
But that wasn't what disturbed him.
It was the shadow behind Theo.
A third person.
Face hidden, standing just far enough away.
And written in red ink beneath the photo:
"Dead men keep secrets. But ghosts don't lie."
Ezra's Room – Later That Morning
Kai burst in without knocking.
Ezra was already dressed, jacket half-zipped, eyes bleary from lack of sleep.
Kai dropped the photo on his desk.
"You didn't tell me you were there. With him. That night."
Ezra's fingers froze on the zipper.
He didn't look at the photo.
"I told you I got there late."
"This says otherwise."
Ezra finally looked up.
His voice was hollow. "I didn't take that photo."
"Who did?" Kai pressed.
"I don't know. I thought I was alone."
They stared at each other for a long moment, something between trust and fear sharpening in the space between them.
Kai stepped closer. "Ezra. If you're hiding something, if you're trying to protect someone—stop. This isn't about guilt anymore. It's about survival."
Ezra finally sat down, fingers trembling just slightly.
"I'm not the one who killed Theo," he said quietly. "But I think I know who did."
Meanwhile – Jun
Jun scrolled through a digital archive in the student council server room. The files were encrypted, locked behind administrator access.
But Jun had always been good with secrets.
And better with code.
He unearthed a file labeled DARE_MASTER, dated two years prior.
Inside, hundreds of dares. Names. Outcomes. Time-stamped.
Some were harmless.
Others weren't.
He recognized some of the victims. Some were no longer students.
But one name stood out.
Theo Ainsworth – "DARE REJECTED. PENALTY: TERMINATE."
Jun's stomach twisted.
He kept reading.
Another line was added, three days later:
Witness: Ezra Caldwell. Status: Redacted.
He printed the file.
And as the ink dried, he whispered to himself—
"Holy shit. It's not just a game. It's a system."
Dominic
Dominic had noticed something strange for days—his laptop's fan running even when the system was off, browser history cleared, phone battery draining too fast.
Someone was watching him.
He finally cracked and installed a data sniffer.
Within hours, he had a location ping.
Whoever was logging into his cloud storage… was on campus.
In fact, they were only two doors down.
He narrowed his eyes.
There were only three people who lived on that hall.
One of them was Kai.
And the other was—
Ezra.
Dominic's hands tightened into fists.
Maybe the golden boy wasn't so innocent after all.
Later That Night
Ezra stood in front of the south bridge again.
This time, he wasn't alone.
Kai stood beside him, arms crossed, hoodie pulled up against the wind.
"You said you know who killed him," Kai said.
Ezra nodded. "But I can't prove it yet. Not until I find the last recording Theo sent."
"You think someone buried it?"
"No," Ezra replied. "I think someone edited it. And left out the part that would damn them."
A sudden vibration in Kai's pocket interrupted them both.
A message from an unknown number.
"Want the truth? Come alone. Library basement. 2 AM."
Ezra looked at it, then Kai.
Kai nodded grimly. "Let's finish this."
2 AM – Library Basement
The door was already open.
Inside, the lights flickered overhead. Dust lined every shelf.
They stepped inside, slowly.
And then the projector clicked on.
Video.
Static.
Then a voice.
"This is Theo Ainsworth. If you're seeing this… I'm probably already dead."
Ezra's blood ran cold.
Theo's face filled the screen—bruised, frightened.
"The dare I refused… they said it was just a test. But it wasn't. They wanted me to push someone. Off the roof. As proof of loyalty."
He looked down, visibly trembling.
"I said no. I thought that would be the end. But it wasn't."
The camera shook. Theo whispered something unintelligible.
Then one final phrase, clear as a bell:
"If anything happens to me, tell Ezra—he was right. And tell Jun… I found the list. Burn it."
The screen went black.
Ezra stumbled backward.
Kai caught him.
But before either of them could speak—
—a voice echoed from behind the bookshelves.
Clapping.
Slow. Mocking.
"Well done. You finally found it."
A figure stepped into view.
Sharp suit. Clean cut. Smiling.
Ezra's eyes widened.
"Kellan?"
The vice president of the student council.
He grinned.
"Hello, Ezra. Ready for your final dare?"