The message lingered on Nina’s phone screen, the words staring back at her, as though daring her to acknowledge them. We need to talk. You can’t run from this anymore.
Her fingers trembled as she stared at the message, trying to make sense of it. It was from an unknown number, but something in her gut told her that this wasn’t just some random message. It was connected to everything. To the secrets. To the lies. To the murder.
“Who is it?” Charlotte asked quietly, noticing Nina’s unease.
Nina couldn’t answer immediately, her mind racing. Every fiber of her being wanted to ignore it. To throw her phone into the ocean and pretend that it wasn’t happening. But the nagging thought in the back of her mind told her that if she didn’t confront this now, everything she had worked so hard for would crumble.
“I don’t know,” Nina whispered, her voice shaky. “But it’s not good.”
Charlotte looked at her closely, her eyes filled with concern but also a sense of calm determination. “You don’t have to do this alone. Whatever happens next, we’re in this together. We’ll face it.”
Nina nodded slowly, her heart hammering in her chest. The fear was almost suffocating, but she couldn’t turn back now. She had made it this far, hadn’t she?
Don’t ignore me, Nina. We need to talk.
The words were even more chilling the second time, and Nina could feel the weight of them. She didn’t even need to ask herself who was behind this. She knew. It was him.
Matthew.
But how? How was he still alive?
“Charlotte…” Nina’s voice cracked, barely able to get the words out. “Matthew… he’s alive. He’s the one who sent this.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened, a flicker of disbelief crossing her face. “But… he was dead. We saw him. We…” Her voice faltered, the same horror Nina felt reflected in her gaze.
“I don’t know how,” Nina murmured, swallowing hard. “But it’s him. I knew it couldn’t be over.”
Charlotte clenched her fists, her expression darkening. “We need to end this. Whatever he’s planning, it needs to stop now.”
Nina nodded, her throat tightening with the weight of the words. But deep down, a part of her still couldn’t understand how it was even possible. How could Matthew have survived? She had seen his lifeless body. She had watched him die.
But now… now it felt like the past was rising again, like a wave that would drown them all.
“I have to go to him,” Nina said, the urgency in her voice unmistakable. “I have to make this right. I can’t keep running.”
“No,” Charlotte said sharply, her voice firm. “You’re not going alone. I’m going with you.”
Nina hesitated. The idea of confronting Matthew alone was terrifying, but having Charlotte there—having anyone there—felt like an impossible risk. What if things went wrong? What if they didn’t make it out alive?
But before she could protest, Charlotte placed a hand on her shoulder, steady and unyielding. “We’re doing this together. You’re not facing him alone.”
Nina’s heart swelled with gratitude and fear in equal measure. But she knew Charlotte was right. If she had any chance of stopping this nightmare, she couldn’t do it on her own. Not anymore.
Adrian and Daniel sat in the dark, their faces illuminated only by the faint glow of their phones. Adrian had been pacing for hours, his mind a blur of plans and possibilities. Daniel, on the other hand, was silent, his thoughts heavy with what had happened and what was still to come.
“What if she’s really done with us?” Daniel muttered, breaking the silence. His voice was thick with doubt, and there was a rawness to it that Adrian hadn’t heard before.
Adrian stopped pacing and turned to face his brother, his expression hard but his eyes weary. “She won’t be. She just… needs time.”
Daniel shook his head, his hands clenching into fists. “How can you be so sure? After everything… everything we’ve done?”
“We did it for her,” Adrian said firmly, his voice low and almost desperate. “We did it because we thought we were protecting her.”
“But what if she doesn’t see it that way anymore?” Daniel’s voice cracked, betraying the vulnerability he rarely let show. “What if she hates us?”
Adrian took a deep breath, his mind racing with the same questions. “We’ll make her understand. We have to.”
Suddenly, Adrian’s phone buzzed, cutting through the tension like a knife. He grabbed it quickly, hoping for a sign of good news, but as he read the message, his face paled.
“What is it?” Daniel asked, standing up, his heart skipping a beat.
Adrian’s jaw tightened as he read the message again. The words were clear as day.
Nina knows. She’s with Charlotte. They’re going after him.
His hands shook slightly as he typed a quick response.
Don’t go near him. It’s not safe.
But he wasn’t sure it would be enough. The storm was coming, and there was no way to stop it now.
Matthew’s twisted smile flashed in Nina’s mind, haunting her thoughts. She could almost hear his voice, mocking her, taunting her with the knowledge that she was no longer in control.
They arrived at the old house at the edge of town, the place where it had all started. The place where the nightmares had first begun.
Nina’s heart raced as she stepped out of the car, Charlotte beside her. The familiar unease washed over her, but this time, it was different. She wasn’t the scared, helpless girl she had once been. She had fought too hard to let fear rule her now.
“Stay close,” Charlotte warned, her voice low. “We don’t know what we’re walking into.”
Nina nodded, the adrenaline making her pulse quicken. As they made their way toward the front door, Nina felt every step echo in her chest.
She had to face him. She had to stop him, no matter the cost.
Inside the house, the air was thick with tension. Matthew’s presence lingered in every corner, every shadow. It was as if he had never left. Nina’s footsteps faltered for a moment as they approached the door, but she forced herself to push through.
Charlotte glanced at her. “Are you ready?”
Nina took a deep breath, her voice steady. “I have to be.”
With one swift motion, Charlotte pushed the door open.
The moment they stepped inside, Nina’s stomach dropped. The room was empty, save for a single figure standing at the far end.
Matthew.
And behind him, the shadows seemed to shift and move. The silence in the room felt suffocating, as though the world itself was holding its breath.
“You should have stayed away, Nina,” Matthew said coldly, a dark smile creeping across his face. “You can’t run from the past. It always finds a way back.”