Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 49907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 166(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49907 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 166(@300wpm)
“Where’s the phone box?” Gabe asked urgency in his tone. “We need our phones.”
Naija scowled, visibly trying to think past her pounding head. “It was in the kitchen, by the paper towels.”
I bolted, Daniella hot on my heels. My eyes scanned the counter as I rounded the corner, but there was nothing. “It’s not here,” I called out. My hands fumbled over the counters and pulled open cabinets as if I might have missed it, but it was nowhere to be found.
“It’s gone,” Daniella announced, her voice rising as she turned with disbelief.
“It’s not there?” Ryan questioned.
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s not.”
Another knock came.
Ryan muttered a curse under his breath, running a hand through his hair. “Stay here,” he instructed. “Don’t move. I’m going back to the foyer.”
“What is happening?” Daniella gripped the edge of the counter to steady herself.
I crept forward and peeked around the wall to watch him.
After a second, Daniella was right behind me. Ryan moved toward the front door cautiously and pressed his face to the peephole.
“There’s no one out there anymore,” he said finally, though the tension in his tone betrayed his unease.
“What you mean is that there’s no one at the door right now. Someone is most definitely out there,” Naija corrected. She’d fully woken up at this point.
Cherish joined us, rubbing sleep from her eyes. “What’s going on?”
I didn’t even try to explain. “We can’t find the phone box,” I divulged instead, frustration thick in my voice.
“Alright,” Jason began, his voice gruff, “we need to figure out what’s happening.”
Liza nodded, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.
“If someone’s messing with us, we need to stay inside and keep the doors and windows locked.”
I pressed my hands flat against my thighs, squeezing my eyes shut to think. The panic wasn’t helping. I needed to calm down. Around me, the group buzzed with scattered questions, fragmented ideas, and mounting tension. Cherish stepped up beside me, her hand finding mine and squeezing it firmly. “I’m right here with you,” she said softly.
I nodded, forcing myself to breathe deeply. “Okay,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “Let’s figure this out.”
Ryan rubbed his jaw. “First things first—our phones. Naj, you said you left the box in the kitchen, right?”
“Yeah, I did. Right by the paper towels. It was there last night. I know I was drunk off my ass, but that happened before then.”
“Well, it’s not there now,” Gabe pointed out. “And unless someone here moved it, there can only be one other explanation.”
The implication hung in the air, unspoken but crystal clear. Liza frowned. “If it’s not inside the house then that means someone came to get it. And then they just left?” Her words dripped with skepticism, but there was a nervous edge beneath them.
“Someone is clearly fucking with us,” I stated the obvious. “My dog didn’t just open a door and walk away. And how did that girl from the gas station know to find us here? We’re hours away from that place.”
My sister shook her head. “It doesn’t make sense. This house is in the middle of nowhere.”
“Are we sure someone was inside the house, why didn’t we hear them? Why didn’t they… do anything?” Naija questioned.
“Because they didn’t need to,” Gabe replied.
“They wanted to mess with us. It’s psychological. Freak us the fuck out.”
“They’re doing a damn good job of it,” Daniella snapped, rubbing her temples.
“We should search the entire house. Every room, every closet, every corner. If the phones are gone, we need to know how they got in. And if they’re still here…”
Jason, now leaning against the banister, scoffed. “So we just wander around this big-ass house like it’s a Scooby-Doo episode?”
Liza shot him a glare. “Got a better idea?”
“Alright,” I said, taking a steadying breath. “We need to search the entire house. If the phones are still here, we’ll find them. If not, at least we’ll know for sure someone came inside.”
Cherish nodded, moving closer to me. “We’ll stick together. I’m not letting you wander off alone.”
“Same here,” Ryan added. “Gabe and I can take the first floor.”
“Daniella, Liza, and I will check the basement,” Naija said, her tone clipped. “Let’s grab anything that can double as a weapon while we’re at it. Just in case.”
“We’ll start upstairs,” I said, glancing at Cherish. As we headed toward the stairs, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched.
“They’re gone,” Ryan announced, his voice grim as we all returned to the foyer. “All of them. The landline too.”
“Fantastic,” Liza muttered, crossing her arms. “So what do we do now? Wait for whoever this is to knock again?”
“No,” Daniella objected. “We grab our shit and leave. We’re sitting ducks here without any way to call for help.”
“That’s not an option.” My voice was firmer than I expected it to be. “My dog is still out there with some psycho. I’m not leaving without him.”