Chapter 1 The First Call
Willow Creek was the kind of small town that never seemed to make the news unless something terrible happened. Two years ago, it had been the drowning of Lucas Torres — Maya’s older brother. People whispered about it, but no one ever explained why he had been out by the lake that night. Since then, Maya had lived with a constant shadow of grief, her only relief being time spent with her best friend Tessa.
On a humid summer night, Tessa Morgan lounged in her room, texting and scrolling through TikTok, when her phone buzzed with a video call from an unknown number. At first, she smirked. Probably a prank. She answered.
The screen was black at first, then a distorted voice spoke:
“Nice room. Pink sheets. You always sleep with the window unlocked?”
Tessa froze, her smile fading. She glanced at the window. Sure enough, the latch wasn’t set.
“Who is this?” she asked.
The voice chuckled low. “Wrong question. Try again: How long do you think you’ll last?”
Suddenly, the camera on the other end flicked on, showing a shaky shot of her own house — from outside, right under her window. Tessa’s heart pounded. She yanked the curtains closed, breathing hard.
Her parents burst in when she screamed, but when they checked outside, no one was there. The police dismissed it as a prank call. But the next morning, everyone at school was whispering about it.
Maya met Tessa at her locker. “You okay? You look like you didn’t sleep.”
Tessa forced a grin. “It was nothing. Just some creep.”
But Maya knew better. Willow Creek had always had its share of ghosts. And someone was bringing them back to life.
