Chapter 9 — He Knows - by Damiwrites

I stared at the screen. HE KNOWS WHERE YOU ARE. For several seconds, neither of us spoke. Then Adrian closed the laptop. “Get up.” I didn't move. “Why?” “Because we're leaving.” “Leaving where?” “Anywhere that isn't here.” I looked toward the bedroom door. “But this is my house.” “Exactly.” Something in his voice made me stand. “What happened?” He grabbed the flash drive and slipped it into his pocket. “We need to go.” “You're not answering me.” “I will.” “When?” “When we're somewhere safe.” I stared at him. “You've said that word so many times that I don't think you even know what it means anymore.” He looked at me. “I know exactly what it means.” He walked toward the door. I followed. We made it halfway down the hallway when Adrian suddenly stopped. I almost walked into him. “What?” He raised a finger to his lips. I listened. Nothing. Then— A soft sound came from downstairs. A floorboard creaking. Someone was inside the house. Again. Adrian reached for my hand. This time, I didn't argue. We moved silently toward the stairs. He looked down. The hallway below was dark. Then a shadow crossed the wall. Someone was walking toward the living room. My heart pounded. Adrian pulled me back. He whispered, “Stay behind me.” We waited. The footsteps stopped. Silence. Then the front door opened. I heard someone leave. Adrian moved quickly down the stairs. I followed. The front door was still swinging slightly. He stepped outside. Nobody. Just the empty street. I stood beside him. “Who was that?” “I don't know.” “Then how did they get inside?” He looked at the lock. There were no signs of damage. “They had a key.” My stomach dropped. “Who has a key to my house?” He looked at me. “Your mother.” “She isn't here.” “I know.” I stared at the door. “Then someone else has one.” Adrian didn't answer. We went back inside. He checked every room. Nothing was missing. Nothing looked disturbed. Except the safe. I noticed it immediately. “Adrian.” He turned. The safe was open. The photographs were scattered across the floor. The letter was gone. My breath caught. “No.” I rushed toward it. “Someone took it.” Adrian crouched beside the safe. He picked up the remaining photographs. “All of these are still here.” I looked at him. “Why would they take the letter?” His expression darkened. “Because they knew what was in it.” I swallowed. “But how?” He looked toward the stairs. “Because someone has been here before.” A cold feeling spread through me. “The person who took the phone?” “Maybe.” “The person who photographed me?” “Maybe.” “You're really bad at reassuring people.” “I wasn't trying to.” I stared at him. Then I noticed something on the floor. A small piece of paper. I picked it up. My hands went cold. It was the back of the photograph we'd been looking at earlier. The one with my mother. And Adrian. There was writing on it. Not my mother's handwriting. Three words. You were warned. I looked at Adrian. “Does this mean anything to you?” He didn't answer. “Adrian.” He took the paper from me. His face changed. “You've seen this before.” “Yes.” “Where?” He looked at the photograph. “Years ago.” My heart sank. “From my mother?” He nodded. “She received one just like it.” “When?” “The week before she disappeared.” I stared at him. “And you never thought to tell me?” “I didn't know if it was connected.” “Everything is connected!” My voice broke. “You keep telling me you don't know anything, but every time I find something, you already know what it means.” He looked at me. “I know enough to be afraid.” That shut me up. For a moment, neither of us spoke. Then my phone vibrated. I nearly dropped it. Unknown number. One message. You shouldn't have opened the safe. I looked at Adrian. Another message appeared. Now you know too much. Then another. Ask Adrian what happened on June 14. My stomach twisted. June 14. The date on the flash drive. My birthday. I looked up. “What happened on June 14?” Adrian went pale. “Don't.” “What happened?” “Not here.” “Why?” “Because if they're watching us—” My phone vibrated again. This time, there was a photograph. I opened it. My heart stopped. It was a picture of me and Adrian standing in the hallway. Taken only seconds ago. I looked toward the windows. Nothing. No one. I turned to Adrian. “They're here.” He took my phone. His eyes moved across the photograph. Then he looked toward the ceiling. “Maybe.” “What do you mean, maybe?” He zoomed in. There was something reflected in the glass behind us. A figure. Standing upstairs. My blood ran cold. We both looked up. Nothing. Then— A loud crash came from above. I screamed. Adrian grabbed my hand. We ran upstairs. The old room was open. The curtains were moving. The window was wide open. And on the floor was the flash drive. Adrian stopped. “I had it.” I looked at him. “What?” “I had it in my pocket.” He checked. Empty. My stomach dropped. Someone had taken it from him. Then placed it here. A piece of paper was pinned to the curtain. Adrian pulled it down. He read it. His expression went blank. “What does it say?” He handed it to me. Three lines. You keep protecting her. You keep lying to her. Let's see how long you can keep her alive. My hands began to shake. Adrian took the paper back. “We're leaving.” This time, I didn't argue. We rushed downstairs. He grabbed his keys. I grabbed my bag. Before we reached the door, my phone rang. Unknown number. I stared at the screen. Adrian said, “Don't answer.” I don't know why. Maybe it was fear. Maybe it was anger. Maybe I was simply tired of being kept in the dark. I answered. “Hello?” Silence. Then a man's voice. Low. Calm. Almost amused. “You look just like your mother.” My blood turned cold. I couldn't speak. Adrian stepped closer. The voice continued. “She should have listened.” I gripped the phone. “Who are you?” A quiet laugh. Then— “Ask Adrian.” The call ended. I slowly lowered the phone. Adrian was staring at me. “What did he say?” I looked at him. “He said my mother should have listened.” Adrian's face changed. “What else?” I swallowed. “He told me to ask you.” “Ask me what?” I stared at him. “June 14.” He said nothing. And in that moment, I realized something. The man on the phone hadn't called to threaten me. He had called because he wanted me to know one thing. He wanted me to stop trusting Adrian. And somehow— That scared me more than the threat.

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