Daniel laughed, the sound brittle in the hush. The door was bolted, the air still and heavy. His phone vibrated in his trembling hand, the notification bright and sharp against the gloom.
Daniel typed quickly, fingers shaking. "Who is this?" The reply came before he could blink. Unknown Number: "You shouldn't have read this message out loud." Daniel’s throat closed, a chill crawling down his spine.
His breath catches. The figure behind him does not blink or move, its eyes hollow, its grin a gash across its face. The silence in the room is absolute, broken only by the frantic pounding of Daniel’s heart.
He stares wildly around—no figure, no movement, just the hum of electricity and the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Relief is a fleeting illusion; the air still feels thick, charged with something unseen.
Unknown Number: "Turning the lights on doesn't make me leave." The words burn into his mind, an invisible hand tightening at his neck.
"Now turn around." Daniel’s muscles lock, fear rooting him to the spot. In the suffocating silence, he knows the darkness is not empty, and that whatever waits behind him is not gone.
