Daniel couldn't stop staring at Emily's phone, It was sealed inside a clear evidence bag, resting in the officer's hand, yet it felt more alive than anything else around him. The blue case was slightly scratched near the corner, exactly the way he remembered. He had teased her about it once, telling her she needed a new one. She had just laughed and said she liked things that lasted.
His chest tightened at the memory.
"Sir?"
Daniel blinked. The officer was looking at him.
"You said she sent you a message last night?", Daniel nodded slowly. His throat felt dry. "At 11:47 PM." The officer held out his hand. "May I see your phone?"
Daniel hesitated for only a second before unlocking it and opening the conversation. His fingers felt colder than usual, stiff as he handed it over. The officer studied the screen carefully, his eyes scanning every word. Daniel watched his expression, searching for something—concern, suspicion, anything but the officer remained calm. Professional. Distant.
He handed the phone back. "We'll need to document this." Daniel nodded, barely hearing him. His attention had shifted back to Emily's phone, Something about it felt wrong. Not broken. Not damaged. Just… wrong. Like it didn't belong there. Like it shouldn't exist without her.
"You said someone found it this morning?" Daniel asked, The officer nodded. "Around 6:30 AM. Lying near the road." Daniel frowned. "That doesn't make sense." The officer tilted his head slightly. "What doesn't?" Daniel hesitated. Everything.Nothing, He didn't know how to explain the feeling crawling under his skin. Emily wouldn't just drop her phone, She wouldn't leave it behind, Not after sending that message, Not after making it sound like she was in danger. Unless— He stopped himself. His thoughts were moving too fast. Too dark. Too real. "We'll contact you if we find anything," the officer said, Daniel nodded again, but his mind was somewhere else. Still stuck on one thing, The message, The last thing she had said to him, "If anything happens to me, it wasn't an accident."
It didn't sound like fear. It sounded like certainty. Like she already knew.
As the officer turned away, Daniel felt a strange uneasiness settle into his chest. He couldn't explain it. He couldn't prove it, but something about this wasn't over. Not even close.
Daniel returned home just after noon, his house felt emptier than usual.Quieter.
He walked into his room and closed the door behind him, leaning against it for a moment, he hadn't realized how tired he was until now, his body felt heavy, but his mind refused to rest. He sat on his bed and stared at his phone.
The conversation was still open, her name still there.
Emily.
He scrolled up slowly, reading their older messages. Normal conversations. Stupid jokes. Late-night thoughts. Everything felt so ordinary. So alive. Until the last message. His chest tightened again.
He didn't understand it, he didn't understand any of it. He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly, maybe the police would find her, maybe there was a simple explanation, maybe she was safe.
Maybe
His phone vibrated. Daniel froze.
He stared at the screen, his heart suddenly pounding harder.
One new message.
From Emily.
His breath caught in his throat, that wasn't possible. Her phone was with the police. He had seen it himself, his hands trembled slightly as he picked up the phone. He stared at her name.
Emily Harper.
His mind screamed at him not to open it, but he did, The message was short.
" Stop looking".
Daniel's heart slammed violently against his chest, he stared at the words, unable to breathe.
Stop looking.
His hands began to shake.This wasn't real.
It couldn't be real, her phone was gone.The police had it. So who sent this?
His mind raced through every possible explanation.
Maybe someone else had her phone,maybe someone was pretending to be her, maybe—
Or maybe she wasn't gone, maybe she was still out there.
Watching.Waiting.
His phone buzzed again.
Another message.
"You're not safe".
Daniel dropped the phone.
It hit the floor with a dull sound, but he didn't move.
His entire body felt frozen.His ears rang loudly in the silence.His chest rose and fell rapidly as panic slowly crept in.This wasn't a coincidence,this wasn't a mistake.Someone was sending these messages,someone who knew him, someone who knew Emily, someone who knew he was looking.
He slowly bent down and picked up the phone again, his hands were trembling so badly he almost dropped it a second time.
He stared at the screen.
The messages were still there.
Real.Unchanged.
"Stop looking.You're not safe."
Daniel's throat tightened. A terrible realization began to form in his mind, this wasn't just about Emily anymore.
Whoever sent those messages didn't want him involved,which meant he was getting close to something, something dangerous,Something someone didn't want him to find.
He looked around his room suddenly,The walls.The window.The door.
For the first time in his life, his own room didn't feel safe, It felt exposed. Like someone could be watching him. Like someone already was. Daniel swallowed hard. He didn't know what was happening, he didn't know who to trust but one thing was certain, Emily's disappearance wasn't random, It wasn't an accident.
And now
He was part of it.