After a long night, I was jolted awake by the sound of my alarm. It was 9:00 AM. Yesterday had been my twenty-second birthday, and the party had been overwhelming; the vibe was electric. After washing up, I headed downstairs to find my parents.
My father was hunched over some pamphlets. As I glimpsed the papers, the memory of the Will flooded back. I took a seat, dwelling on the strange weight of yesterday's events, when I heard it—a faint, whispering sound. It felt as if it were crawling through the air toward me.
"Morning, birthday boy," my father said, snapping me back to reality. "You looked like you were having the time of your life last night."
I let out a long breath and forced a half-grin. "Guess I was. Morning, Dad." My eyes drifted to the maid standing behind him. She was grinning at me with a wide, blank stare. My heart began to race. A cold shiver surged down my spine, making the hair on my arms stand up. I squeezed my eyes shut and reopened them. The space behind my father was empty; there was only the manservant, quietly pouring tea.
"What happened?" my dad asked, noticing my expression.
"Nothing, Dad. Just tired," I lied. "Just a crazy dream, I guess."
"I'm off to work, Theo. Take some rest; you look pale," he said. After he left, I finished breakfast in a daze. I grabbed my phone and called my friend, Jax Cross.
The phone rang. Click. "There he is! Happy birthday, man! Feeling any older yet?"
"Where are you?" I asked. "Why did you leave so early, Jax?" Before I could finish, I heard a woman's voice in the background whisper, "Bae." "Okay, okay, bye baby," Jax whispered back before returning to me in a lower voice. "Theo, thanks again, man." I told him to meet me at my apartment in the city, then I dressed and headed for my Mustang.
Midway through the drive, the voice returned. It was accompanied by heavy, labored breathing. What? What is it saying? I couldn't understand the words. My hands turned ice-cold and went numb. The car began to veer out of control. I slammed on the brakes.
Then, silence.
I opened my eyes. The car had screeched to a halt. My heart was trying to escape my chest. My breath fogged the windshield, and my blood felt like ice. I looked around—the car was intact, and the people on the sidewalk were walking by as if nothing had happened. No blood. No broken glass.
I called Jax and a driver to come get the car. As I waited, I saw her again—a girl among the crowd, grinning at me with that same blank stare. I blinked, and she vanished. I searched for her until a familiar hand gripped my shoulder.
Jax was there, his face pale as he anchored me back to reality. "Hey, look at me. Breathe. You're okay."
We went to my apartment. I sat in a heavy silence that Jax mistook for shock from the accident. I could hear every tiny sound: the ticking of the clock, the hum of the AC, the distant cars on the road. It was so quiet it felt like I was being watched. I felt a strange, crushing pressure on my abdomen, and my legs felt frozen in place.
Jax finally broke the silence. "Theo?"
I startled. "Ah... what?"
"Are you okay, man? Should we go to the hospital?"
"I'm okay," I replied, though my voice shook. "It's just... something has been wrong since the moment I woke up."