"Is Zuv not here?" Cora asked.
"Zuv? He actually doesn't work here. Nora would know more about him," the café manager replied.
"Oh, okay. I'll ask her later," Cora said.
"Trace dropped by this morning. He actually asked about you," the café manager added.
"Why? Why would he ask about me?" Cora's voice trembled; her eyebrows narrowed, and her hands shook.
"Hey, Cora. I'm almost done with my shift. You should try this new dessert on the menu," Nora said.
Cora smiled at Nora.
"He just asked, 'Where's your regular customer? The one who eats the Choco Hazelnut cake—the same as me.' We chatted a bit. I told him you were cute. He thinks so too. You know, I might even be able to set up a date. What do you say?" the café manager teased.
Cora's face dropped.
"I think he has a girlfriend. Either way, I like someone else," she said, still shocked.
The café manager looked surprised. The Cora she knew—the happy, cheerful one who always talked about Trace—was no longer there.
Cora told Nora everything that had happened.
"That's scary. To be honest, I wouldn't trust anyone in this town," Nora said with distress.
"I think I'll go back home for a while. But I'm too damn scared to even pack my bags," Cora admitted.
"Zuv isn't around, and even if we call, he'll be out of it. They all went to the pub. If you're okay with it, I'll tag along. Wait—I can call Crystal. Three is better than one drunk Zuv," Nora said, already dialing Crystal.
"Okay," Cora whispered, taking out her phone to book the earliest flight she could find.
"She's on her way. Why don't I pack you another cake to go?" Nora asked.
"Yes, please," Cora said with a small smile.
With Crystal and Nora beside her, she felt safer. The elevator felt less suffocating as the girls talked about how exhausting work had been and what they wanted to eat. The dark hallway was no longer terrifying. Cora opened the door and stepped inside. The plain room lay quietly—everything turned down, a bunch of chocolate cake boxes on the counter, and torn bits of photos of Trace in the dustbin.
Cora placed the cake in the fridge.
Nora and Crystal were scrolling through food apps.
"What do you want to eat, Cora?" Nora asked.
"Anything is fine. I'll start packing. You guys can turn on the TV," Cora replied, heading to her room.
She felt much better with them around. The whispers she always heard faded into their voices. Help me turned into Do you want dessert? The air felt light—finally breathable.
She continued packing and, after twenty minutes, went to shower. The food was about to arrive; all that was left was to eat and leave the place.
But the silence followed her as she moved deeper into the room, then into the bathroom. The whispers returned. A loud bang made her drop the hand shower. Cora wrapped a towel around herself, water dripping from her body, and rushed out. It was just the food delivery. She sighed into the darkness—but then she heard something else: a cry, and someone softly banging on the door.
Quickly dressing, she ran toward the light where Nora and Crystal were opening the food box.
"What's wrong?" Crystal asked.
"It was just the delivery," Nora said, placing the boxes on the table.
"No… I hear it right now," Cora whispered. They understood immediately.
Crystal walked toward Cora's room. They all sat on the bed, backs close to the wall. Silence filled the space. Just as Crystal was about to step back, a thud sounded, followed by a low groan—undeniable, impossible to ignore. It was loud. The creak, the whispers—they sent a chill straight through them.
"Do you hear it?" Cora asked.
"Yes. It's loud," Nora replied.
A knock came from the door.
"Are you there?" Trace's voice came through from outside.
All three women stood up and went to the door.
"Hi. Oh, you have friends here," Trace said.
"Hi, yes," Cora replied, confused about why he was here.
"Hey, if he's here, then we need to confront him," Crystal whispered to Nora.
"Maybe," Nora replied quietly.
"Is something wrong? I just came to give you cake," Trace said, offering the bag.
"Well… are you living alone right now?" Crystal asked. Trace went blank—clearly a question he didn't expect.
"Um… yes. Why?" Trace asked, slowly stepping back.
"We heard a noise just now. We thought it was you and brushed it off, but you're at the door," Crystal said.
"Noise? I just came home from the café." Trace's face dropped.
"You sure?" he asked for confirmation, taking another step back.
"Yeah. We all did," Nora replied.
"Let's go check it out. I'll call the landlord just to make sure," Trace said and left toward the stairs.
Crystal went back into the bedroom to listen. The moaning sound continued—like a woman crying in pain. Nora and Cora stayed in the hallway, waiting for Trace to come back with the landlord. They all entered together once he returned.
"There's no one here. You can check everywhere," Trace said.
Everyone went in different directions.
"Hey, it's better to check the place where we heard the noise while we're at it," Crystal suggested. Everyone agreed.
Cora and Crystal took measurements, and it matched exactly with the position of Trace's cupboard. They opened it. Nothing. They even moved the cupboard, and something fell out—a small speaker. The thud came from it.
"Is the noise coming from this?" Trace asked, holding it in his hand.
"Looks like it," Crystal said, stretching her hand toward it. There it was—the noise, now heard by everyone.
"Someone must have pulled a prank," Trace said.
"You should let the police know. There might even be a camera or more of these," the landlord said.
"Yes, I'll call right now," Trace replied, stepping out.
The police found two more microphones like the first one, but still no trace of a girl. Maybe it was all just a prank.
They all went back. Trace said he would stay with his friend for the time being, and the police would check again. Cora, Crystal, and Nora returned to their room, slowly eating until Nora broke the silence.
"Will you be staying now that things are sorted?" Nora asked.
"No. I'm still not convinced. I know Trace… even though we're strangers in reality, I know him. He wasn't exactly lying, but he was definitely hiding something—a smirk where he should've been worried. Something isn't right, and I can't forget her face. I know what I saw, and that's not something I'd lie to myself about. I'll be leaving even if it's just for a few days," Cora said, putting down her fork.
"Sorry, we didn't mean it like that," Crystal replied.
"No, no, it's not you guys. I know everything sounds crazy—especially coming from someone like me, who literally danced with Trace every night… at least in the past. Everything is so confusing," Cora said, tears clinging to her eyelashes.
"We'll figure it out. Don't worry. When you come back, you can call us again—we'll do an actual girls' night out," Crystal said, trying to cheer her up.
"Let's bring all types of cake," Nora added, smiling and holding her hand.
"Thanks, guys. I'll talk to my publisher about it," Cora said, checking the time.
"I should be going." She stood, and they all shared hugs before leaving together to send her off.
"It's crazy. Her love toward Trace might look crazy, but it's not toxic. At least she's fighting it," Crystal said as they walked.
"True. I wish I was like her. Sometimes I drift back to the past—back when I didn't know the truth," Nora said.
"Hey, whatever you decide about Allan, I'll be right there by your side," Crystal said as they crossed the road.
"It's not in my hands. That's one thing I've learned. Completely swayed by the Ring of Destiny," Nora replied, looking at her hand.
"Where do we go next?" Crystal asked.
"Maybe the pub. I wanna watch Zuv making fun of himself," Nora laughed.
"He'll be dead if I catch him with another girl," Crystal pouted.