Chapter One : PineCrest
Pinecrest was a peaceful town. At least, that’s what Ethan had believed all these years.
Quiet streets. Familiar faces. Nothing ever happened there.
Until tonight.
Ethan lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. The soft yellow glow of the side lamp beside him was the only light in the room. Outside, Pinecrest slept in silence.
Then—
The lamp flickered.
Once.
Twice.
And then it went out completely.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Ethan’s heart began to race.
“It’s just a power issue,” he whispered to himself.
But then he heard it.
A faint whisper.
“Help me…”
His eyes snapped open.
He sat up slowly, every muscle tense. The room felt heavier now, like something invisible was pressing down on him.
“Hello?” he called out.
No answer.
He forced himself out of bed and walked toward the door. His hand trembled as he turned the knob.
The hallway was darker than usual.
And then—
“Ethan…”
The voice was clearer this time.
Right behind him.
He spun around.
No one.
His breathing grew uneven. He rushed outside.
The street lamp near his house flickered violently, casting long, distorted shadows across the empty road. For a moment, the entire street looked wrong — like reality itself was glitching.
Then everything went still.
The lamp steadied.
The street was normal again.
Silent.
Empty.
Ethan swallowed hard and pulled out his phone.
No power outage alerts.
No missed calls.
But then—
His phone buzzed.
A new message.
Unknown Number.
His hands shook as he opened it.
The message contained only three words.
“You heard me.”
Ethan slowly lifted his eyes from the screen.
At the end of the street…
Under the flickering lamp…
Someone was standing there.
Watching him.
