The rest of the day didn't feel real. I walked back home, but it didn't feel like I was the one moving. My body kept going while my mind stayed behind in the woods, stuck between the broken branches and the message on my phone. You didn't see everything. Five words. Five stupid words that somehow felt heavier than the storm clouds swallowing Centralia whole. I checked the number again when I got home. Unknown. No profile. No clue. Just silence.
My house felt colder than usual. Maybe it was because my mother worked late and the place had learned how to stay empty, or maybe it was just me. I dropped my wet jacket near the door and stared outside the window. The rain was softer now, but Centralia still looked dead. Quiet streets. Empty sidewalks. Houses standing too still like they were hiding things. Small towns are strange. Everyone smiles at each other while secrets rot underneath.
I should've stopped thinking about Helen.
I tried.
Really.
But my brain kept circling back to her like something unfinished. The way she looked terrified at the station didn't leave me alone. If she killed Ezel… why did she look scared? And if she didn't kill him… then why lie?
I sat on my bed and unlocked my phone again.
Unknown Number.
No messages after that.
Without thinking too much, I typed:
Who are you?
Seen.
No reply.
Then another message came.
Almost immediately.
Ask Helen what happened after midnight.
I froze.
After midnight?
What did that even mean?
Before I could type back, another text arrived.
She remembers more than she says.
Then the number disappeared.
Not blocked.
Gone.
Like it never existed.
My stomach twisted. Something about this didn't feel like a prank anymore. Whoever texted me knew things. Things they shouldn't know.
Thunder cracked outside hard enough to shake the window.
And then—
A knock.
Three slow knocks at my door.
I looked at the clock.
11:43 PM.
Nobody visits this late in Centralia.
Especially not after what happened to Ezel.
The knocking came again.
Slower this time.
I walked toward the door carefully, every step feeling heavier than the last. Part of me wanted to ignore it. Pretend nobody was there.
But curiosity always ruins people.
I opened the door.
And my heart nearly stopped.
Helen stood there.
Soaked from the rain.
No umbrella.
No smile.
Her eyes looked tired, red around the edges like she hadn't slept in days.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then she looked past me nervously, like she was scared someone had followed her.
"I need to tell you something," she whispered.
My chest tightened.
"What?"
She stepped closer.
Closer than normal.
Close enough that I could hear her uneven breathing.
And then she said something that made the world feel smaller.
"I think someone is trying to make me look like I killed Ezel."
Before I could even answer—
A car stopped across the street.
Black.
Engine running.
Watching the house.
And when I looked carefully through the rain—
I swear I saw someone sitting inside.
Watching us. 🌧️