The messages didn't stop.
They came in waves.
Morning. Afternoon. Night.
Different numbers.
Same content.
Same intent.
Relentless.
Taye stopped trying to block them.
There were too many.
Instead… he watched.
Patterns.
Timing.
Repetition.
Someone was pushing it.
Still.
And whoever it was… knew exactly how to keep it alive.
Across the hall…
Her door stayed closed.
All day.
No movement.
No sound.
At first, Taye told himself she was resting.
Sleeping.
Trying to forget.
By afternoon… he knew better.
He stood in front of her door.
Hand raised.
Then lowered.
What do you even say?
You'll be fine?
Ignore them?
It'll pass?
Lies.
All of them.
He knocked.
Lightly.
No response.
He waited.
Still nothing.
"Tayo…" he called softly.
Silence.
His chest tightened slightly.
He knocked again.
A bit louder.
"Hey… it's me."
A pause.
Then,
"…go away."
Her voice.
But it didn't sound like her.
It was flat.
Empty.
"I just want to talk," he said.
"I don't."
Simple.
Final.
Taye rested his forehead lightly against the door.
"I know this is hard—"
"You don't know anything."
That one hit.
Harder than it should have.
"I'm trying to—"
"Then stop."
Silence.
For a moment… he didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Because he realized something.
She didn't want comfort.
She wanted it all to stop.
And no one could give her that.
Later that evening…
The house was quieter than usual.
Too quiet.
Taye sat in the living room again.
Same spot.
Same position.
His father wasn't pacing anymore.
He sat still now.
Eyes fixed on nothing.
That was worse.
Much worse.
His mother moved between rooms.
Not really doing anything.
Just moving.
Like she didn't know where to stay.
Then,
A sound.
Soft.
From the hallway.
Taye looked up.
Her door.
It opened.
Slowly.
She stepped out.
And immediately…
Something felt wrong.
Not obvious.
Not loud.
But there.
Her eyes looked… distant.
Not red.
Not crying.
Just…
Far away.
"Tayo?" their mother said gently.
She didn't respond.
She walked into the living room.
Sat down.
Same spot as before.
Hands resting in her lap.
Too still.
Taye studied her.
"You okay?" he asked carefully.
She nodded.
Too quickly.
"Yeah."
A lie.
Obvious.
But no one called it out.
Because no one knew what to do with the truth.
Minutes passed.
No one spoke.
Then suddenly
"Do you think it'll ever stop?" she asked.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
Taye frowned slightly.
"What?"
"This," she said, gesturing vaguely.
"Everything."
He hesitated.
Then,
"Yeah."
Another lie.
She nodded slowly.
"I used to think things like this only happened to other people."
Her fingers intertwined gently.
"You know… the kind of stories you hear and just scroll past."
Taye swallowed.
"But now…" she continued.
She looked up.
"…I am the story."
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Real.
"I don't even recognize myself anymore," she said.
Her voice didn't shake.
That was the scary part.
"It's like… they took something from me."
Taye's jaw tightened.
"They don't get to do that," he said.
She looked at him.
"They already did."
That answer…
Left no room for argument.
That night…
Taye stayed awake.
Not on his phone.
Not thinking about messages.
Just listening.
To the house.
To the silence.
To the spaces between sounds.
Because something felt off.
Wrong.
Unstable.
Then
A faint noise.
A door.
Opening.
Slow.
Careful.
Taye sat up instantly.
His heart started beating faster.
Not panic.
Instinct.
He stepped out of his room quietly.
The hallway was dark.
But he could see it.
Her door.
Open.
His chest tightened.
"Tayo?" he called softly.
No response.
He moved closer.
Pushed the door open wider.
The room was empty.
Bed untouched.
Window slightly open.
Curtains moving gently with the night air.
A cold feeling dropped into his stomach.
"Tayo…?"
Nothing.
Then
From outside.
A faint sound.
Movement.
Taye turned sharply.
And ran.
Down the hallway.
Through the living room.
Past his parents' room
"Dad!" he shouted.
The front door was slightly open.
His heart slammed hard against his chest.
He pushed it open fully
And stepped outside.
The night air hit him immediately.
Cool.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
Then
He saw her.
Standing at the edge of the street.
Still.
Facing nothing.
Or maybe everything.
"Tayo!"
She didn't move.
He ran toward her.
Fast.
"Tayo, what are you doing?"
She turned slightly.
Her face…
Calm.
Too calm.
"I just wanted to see if it feels different out here," she said.
His breathing was uneven now.
"Different how?"
She looked around slowly.
"Like maybe… if I step outside… it won't follow me."
Taye's chest tightened painfully.
"It doesn't work like that."
She nodded.
"I figured."
Silence.
Then
A faint light flashed.
Across the street.
Taye's head snapped toward it.
Two figures.
Phones raised.
Recording.
Watching.
Always watching.
Something inside him snapped.
"Stop!" he shouted, stepping forward.
The figures didn't move.
Just kept recording.
Like this was entertainment.
Like this was nothing.
Taye took another step
"Taye."
Her voice.
He froze.
She grabbed his hand.
Gently.
"Don't."
He looked at her.
And in her eyes…
For the first time…
He saw it.
Not sadness.
Not fear.
Something deeper.
Something dangerous.
Emptiness.
His grip tightened around her hand.
And in that moment…
A realization hit him.
Hard.
This wasn't just damage anymore.
This was breaking.
And if something didn't change soon…
There might be nothing left to fix.