Emily couldn't stop staring at the message.
"It's already too late for Rachel. Don't let it be too late for you. Look under your bed. – R"
The glowing words seemed to brand themselves into her vision, lingering even when she blinked. She shoved the phone into her pocket, but it didn't stop the feeling that her veins were full of ice.
She barely remembered saying goodbye to the others. She barely remembered the walk home. By the time she reached her house, her lungs hurt from holding her breath the whole way.
The neighborhood was dark. Her mom's car wasn't in the driveway. Emily fumbled with her keys, the metal rattling too loudly, as if announcing her return to whoever or whatever was waiting inside.
She pushed the door open and stepped into silence.
The house smelled faintly of lavender from her mom's scented candles, but instead of comfort, the scent made Emily's stomach turn. It felt wrong. Like a cover-up.
She flicked on the hall light. Nothing. Just shadows stretching across the carpet.
Her bedroom door was cracked open.
Emily froze. She was sure absolutely sure she'd shut it when she left earlier.
Her pulse quickened. The text replayed in her mind. Look under your bed. – R
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She nearly screamed.
A new message lit the screen:"Don't keep me waiting. – R"
Emily's fingers shook so badly she could barely grip the phone.
"Who are you?" she whispered into the empty house, voice breaking. Her words dissolved into silence.
She pushed her bedroom door open with the edge of her foot.
The air inside was heavy, colder than the rest of the house. Her curtains billowed faintly even though the window was shut. Moonlight cut across the carpet, slicing her room into shards of silver and black.
Her gaze fell on the bed.
It sat low to the floor, the bedskirt pooling around it like dark water. Shadows gathered beneath it, thick and impenetrable.
She couldn't breathe.
Her phone buzzed again.
"Do it. – R"
Emily's chest heaved. Her legs felt like lead as she crossed the room. She dropped to her knees, her heart battering against her ribs so violently she thought it might crack them.
She lifted the edge of the bedskirt.
Darkness stared back.
Her phone flashlight wobbled as she aimed it under the bed.
For a moment, there was nothing but dust and old sneakers. Relief surged through her—until the light caught on something small and metallic.
A box.
Emily's stomach sank. It hadn't been there before.
She reached in with trembling hands and dragged it out. It was a plain tin lunchbox, the kind a child might carry. Its surface was dented, scratched, coated in dust as though it had been hidden for years. But it hadn't. Not under her bed.
Her fingers fumbled with the clasp. For a moment she thought it was locked, but with a soft snap, it opened.
Inside were photographs.
Emily's breath hitched. She lifted one with shaking hands.
It was her.
Sleeping.
Her face slack with dreams, her mouth slightly open. The photo was grainy, but the angle was unmistakable. Taken from her bedroom door.
Her stomach lurched. She dropped the photo and grabbed another.
This one was of Sophie. Standing in her kitchen, pouring milk into a glass. Unaware of the camera just beyond the window.
The next was Mia, curled on her bed, earbuds in, eyes shut.
Then Jade, leaning over her motorcycle in the garage, grease smudged on her cheek, oblivious to whoever lurked in the shadows snapping pictures.
One after another, the photos showed them in moments of vulnerability. Dressing. Crying. Laughing. Alone. Exposed.
At the bottom of the stack was one final picture. Emily's fingers hovered before picking it up.
Rachel.
She stood in the clearing, her hair tangled, eyes wide with fear. The photo was blurred as if she had been moving running.
On the back, scrawled in red ink: Last seen.
Emily's scream tore out of her throat.
Her phone buzzed. She nearly dropped it, fumbling to read the screen through her tears.
"Do you believe me now? – R"
Emily sobbed, clutching the photos to her chest. "Why are you doing this to us?" she whispered.
Another buzz.
"Because one of you deserves it. – R"
Her blood turned to ice.
Before she could respond, headlights swept across her window. A car pulled into the driveway—her mom's. Emily scrambled, shoving the photos back into the box and stuffing it deep into her closet. She wiped her face with the back of her sleeve, forcing herself to breathe evenly.
But she couldn't shake the words.
One of you deserves it.
The next morning at school, the girls looked like ghosts. Emily's hands shook as she recounted what she had found, the tin box heavy in her backpack.
Sophie nearly fainted when she saw her picture. "They've been inside my house…"
Mia gripped the table so hard her knuckles whitened. "This is sick. This is beyond sick. They're stalking us."
Jade stared at the photo of Rachel for a long, heavy moment before slamming her fist onto the table. "Good. Let them watch. They're not untouchable. We'll find them."
Emily wanted to believe her. But the truth clung to her like a shadow.
Last night, R hadn't just proved they were watching.
They had shown how close they could get.
Later that afternoon, Emily returned to her locker.
Inside, neatly folded on top of her books, was Rachel's jacket.
Her phone buzzed.
"Nice hiding spot, Em. Better lock your doors tonight. – R"
Emily staggered back, her knees buckling.
Because no one had known she'd hidden that jacket in the bottom of her closet—no one except the girls.
And R.
Emily's knees almost gave out. She grabbed the edge of the locker door to steady herself, bile rising in her throat.
This wasn't just a threat anymore—it was proof. R had been in her room, in her closet, in her life, closer than anyone should ever be.
She slammed the locker shut, heart pounding like a drum. The hallway seemed louder than usual, every laugh, every shout echoing like an accusation. Was everyone staring at her? Was R here right now, hidden in plain sight?
"Em?" Sophie's voice broke through the noise. She and Mia were approaching, Jade trailing behind with her usual scowl. "What's wrong?"
Emily hesitated, but she couldn't keep it in. She yanked the locker open again. "Look."
The girls froze. Rachel's jacket lay folded like a gift waiting to be unwrapped.
Mia's face went ashen. "No. No way. You hid that. We all saw you hide it."
Jade's eyes flicked around the hall, sharp and calculating. "Which means someone came into your house last night. Again."
Emily whispered, "They know everything. They can get to us whenever they want."
Her phone buzzed in her hand. The girls leaned in close as she unlocked it.
"Aw, don't look so scared. I just wanted to return what belongs to her. – R"
Sophie shivered. "It's like they're… playing with us. Toying with us."
Jade snatched the phone, her jaw tight. "We're not toys. And whoever this is, they're not untouchable."
Emily wanted to believe her, but her chest felt hollow. She remembered the photo of herself sleeping, the soundless stillness of her room. Someone had stood there, watching her. Breathing the same air.
Another buzz.
This time, all their phones lit up at once.
"Ready for your next game? Meet me where it started. Tonight. Midnight. Come alone—or I'll pick who to punish first. – R"
Mia gasped. "The clearing. Again?"
Emily's stomach turned. She couldn't go back there. Not after what they found. Not after the way Rachel's jacket still smelled faintly of damp earth.
"We don't have a choice," Jade said flatly, already typing furiously on her phone. "If we don't show, they'll come for us anyway."
Emily grabbed her arm. "But what if it's a trap?"
Jade looked her dead in the eye. "It is a trap. But I'm done waiting for them to pull the strings. This time, we're going prepared."
That night, Emily sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the shadows pooling beneath it. The tin box was still hidden in her closet, its weight pressing on her mind like a curse.
She almost couldn't breathe at the thought of midnight.
Her phone buzzed again, a single message cutting through the silence.
"Don't be late. – R"
Emily pressed her palms over her ears, wishing she could block out the sound, block out the words, block out the entire nightmare that had swallowed them. But she knew she'd be there. They all would.
And deep down, one terrifying thought gnawed at her more than anything else:
What if R is one of us?
Emily couldn't focus on dinner. Couldn't focus on the clatter of plates or her mom asking about her day. Every sound was muffled, like she was underwater. Midnight loomed ahead of her like a guillotine.
By the time she slipped out of the house, the town was silent. Her breath fogged in the cool night air as she met Sophie and Mia at the corner. Jade was already there, leaning against her bike, her jaw set.
"Got everything?" Jade asked.
Emily glanced at the backpack slung over Jade's shoulder. "What's in there?"
"Flashlights. A crowbar. Pepper spray." Jade's eyes glinted in the dark. "If R wants a game, we're not playing defenseless anymore."
Mia swallowed hard. "You think that'll stop them? They're always one step ahead."
Sophie hugged her arms tight around her chest. "Maybe that's what they want. For us to show up scared, desperate."
Jade shoved her helmet into the bike. "And what do you suggest? Hide? Pretend this isn't happening? That's exactly how they win."
Emily stayed quiet. Her hands trembled as she shoved them into her hoodie pocket. She thought about the tin box, the photos, Rachel's jacket folded neatly in her locker. There was no hiding anymore.
The woods swallowed them whole. Branches snapped underfoot. Mist curled low to the ground, as if the earth itself was exhaling secrets.
The clearing appeared suddenly, pale moonlight spilling over the place where they'd dug up Rachel's jacket. The dirt was still disturbed, scarred by their frantic clawing.
Emily's heart thudded. Every nerve screamed at her to turn back.
"See anything?" Jade whispered, sweeping her flashlight across the trees.
"Just shadows," Sophie breathed.
Emily flinched as her phone buzzed. The others checked theirs too.
A single message glowed on all four screens:
"Good girls. Right on time. – R"
Mia cursed under her breath. "They're watching us right now."
Emily spun in a slow circle, her flashlight beam cutting through the dark. Nothing but trees, endless and silent. Yet she could feel eyes. She knew they weren't alone.
Another buzz.
"Since you like digging so much… dig again. Same spot. – R"
"No," Sophie whispered. "Not again."
Jade's jaw clenched. "They're pushing us. Testing us. Fine." She dropped her bag, yanked out the crowbar, and stabbed it into the dirt.
Emily's stomach turned as the soil split open. The others joined in, scraping with their hands, their nails already caked with mud.
Minutes passed. The silence of the woods pressed in tighter.
Then Sophie's hand hit something.
"Please don't," she whimpered. "Please don't let it be—"
It wasn't fabric this time. It was a small wooden box.
Emily's breath caught. Together they hauled it out, the dirt clinging to its sides. The box was carved, old-looking, its edges cracked.
Jade forced it open with the crowbar.
Inside was a phone. Rachel's.
Emily's vision blurred. She recognized the glittery pink case, the one Rachel never went anywhere without. The screen was dark, but when Jade pressed the power button, it flickered to life.
One video file.
Sophie covered her mouth. "No. No, no, no."
Jade tapped it. The screen glowed, and Rachel's face filled it.
Her eyes were wide, terrified. She was in the clearing, breath coming in harsh gasps. The camera shook as if she was filming herself while running.
"Please," Rachel's voice cracked, raw with fear. "Please, if you find this, don't trust—"
The video cut out in static.
Emily's heart stopped. "Don't trust who?"
Another buzz rattled all their phones.
"Digging up the past won't save her. But it might bury you. – R"
Emily dropped to her knees, her chest tight, air refusing to fill her lungs.
Rachel had tried to leave them a warning. And someone—R—had made sure they'd never hear the end of it.