Alex woke up on wet grass.
The sky above him was pale gray, the kind just before the rain hits. Birds were singing and a light light breeze moved the leaves around him. His back hurt. His head throbbed. Everything smelled like pine and damp earth.
He sat up fast.
For a second the world tilted. Then it steadied.
He looked down at himself. No blood. No torn clothes. Backpack lying a few feet away. Helmet next to it. GoPro still clipped to the strap. The cave mouth was thirty meters behind him, just a tiny crack in the hillside.
He touched his face. His fingers came away clean.
''What the…''
He patted his pockets. Phone, wallet, keys...everything was there. Nothing missing.
He gave a short, shaky laugh.
''Okay. Blackout. Weird dream. Dehydration. I'm fine. I'm fine.''
He crawled over to his gear and picked up the GoPro. The power switch was off. Battery indicator showed no signs of life. He pressed the button anyway, perhaps hoping for a miracles, but as expected, the screen remained dark.
He frowned.
He didn't remember turning it off, and the battery should last for even an entire day of constant use.
He slung the backpack over one shoulder and started walking down the trail. The forest looked normal. Sunlight came through the trees in long slanting beams. Everything was loud and alive as one would expect from a forest.
By the time he reached the trailhead his phone had enough signal for one bar.
''Mia...''
Twenty-three missed calls from Mia. Twelve texts. The last one sent at 4:12 a.m.
''Alex please answer. I'm freaking out. Call me.''
He typed quickly.
''Hey babe. Long night. Cave kicked my ass but I'm alive. Heading home now. Love you.''
The reply came in seconds.
''You scared me half to death! I was about to call the sheriff. Thank god you are fine. Dinner's waiting. Hurry home. Love you more.''
He smiled. The knot in his chest loosened a little.
The drive home felt longer than it should have.
When he finally stepped through the apartment door the smell of garlic and roasted chicken hit him like a hug.
Mia appeared from the kitchen, hair up in a messy bun, apron tied crooked.
''You're late,'' she said, but she was already crossing the room.
She wrapped her arms around him hard. He hugged her back. She smelled like rosemary and shampoo. For a moment everything was exactly right.
Then she pulled back and looked at him.
''You okay? You look… pale.''
''Just tired,'' he said. ''Long crawl. Lost track of time.''
She studied him for a second longer, then kissed the corner of his mouth.
''Shower. Food. Then you tell me everything. Deal?''
''Deal.''
The hot water felt good. Too good. He stood under the spray until his fingers pruned. Steam filled the bathroom. He tried not to think about the cave. Tried not to picture the red glow. Tried not to hear the pressure behind his eyes.
When he stepped out and wiped the mirror, his reflection stared back normally.
He almost laughed at himself.
''Get it together, Thorne.''
Mia had set the table. Candles. Two plates. Wine already poured.
They ate. She told him about her day. He listened. He laughed at the right places. He told her a version of the story that left out the book, the whispers, the blackout. Just a weird power failure. Trapped in the dark. Woke up outside.
She bought it.
''You're an idiot,'' she said fondly, reaching across the table to touch his arm.
He flinched.
Just a tiny twitch. Barely noticeable.
But he felt it.
Mia didn't seem to notice. She kept talking. He forced a smile and nodded.
Later, when she was washing dishes, he stood in the doorway and watched her. The back of her neck looked soft. Vulnerable.
She doesn't know what you saw.
The thought wasn't his.
He blinked hard.
It vanished.
He shook his head and went to help dry.
That night he couldn't sleep.
Mia was curled against his side, breathing slow and even. Moonlight came through the blinds in thin silver stripes. The ceiling fan turned lazily.
Alex stared up.
His heart kept tripping over itself.
Then he heard it.
Soft. Barely there.
A sigh. A breath that wasn't his. Layered under itself, like many mouths breathing at once.
It came from inside his head.
He sat up slowly.
The room was quiet except for the fan and Mia's breathing.
He rubbed his face.
''Just tired,'' he whispered to himself. ''Just need sleep.''
He swung his legs out of bed and padded to the bathroom.
The only thing grounding him to the reality were cold tiles under his feet.
He turned on the faucet. Splashed water on his face. The shock of it helped.
He looked up into the mirror.
His reflection blinked.
A half-second late, making Alex freeze on the spot.
He raised his hand, and the reflection raised its hand too.
But the timing was wrong. Like a bad video call with lag.
And for a split second, he thought he heard his own breathing… coming from the mirror.
He exhaled sharply.
''Come on.''
He turned off the light and went back to bed.
As he was laying down, he caught himself staring at the ceiling again.
His phone buzzed on the nightstand, his hand reaching for it reflexively.
Notification from YouTube.
New video uploaded to his channel.
''Untitled – 02:17 AM''
The thumbnail was completely black.
Except for one small red dot in the center.
Alex's stomach dropped, because he knew...He knew he didn't upload anything.
He hadn't even turned the camera on after he woke up.
His thumb hovered over the play button, but he didn't press it. Something felt off...
He stared at the screen until it dimmed.
Then he locked the phone and set it face-down on the nightstand.
His heart was beating too fast again.
He closed his eyes, but one thought kept echoing within his mind.
'I should delete it...'
He knew he should delete it.
But part of him... small, curious, reckless... wanted to watch.
.
.
.
The End