The night had settled into a heavy silence, the kind that seemed to press in on the walls of Mindy's apartment. Emily Cooper lay in the guest bed, her eyes closed but her mind far from peaceful. After the harrowing encounter earlier in the day, her thoughts were still a whirlwind of fear and unease. She knew she needed rest, but every time she drifted close to sleep, she would jerk awake, the image of Doug's face flashing in her mind.
Meanwhile, Mindy was in the living room, texting Camille to come over. Camille had insisted earlier that she and Mindy should stay with Emily tonight, but Mindy had been confused by Camille's words—why did Camille say they were both staying with Emily when Mindy had clearly meant for Emily to stay at her place?
As Mindy pondered this, there was a knock at the door. She opened it to find Camille standing there, a small smile on her lips and a bag in hand. "Hey, I'm here," Camille said softly, stepping inside.
Mindy welcomed her with a warm, though slightly puzzled, expression. "Hey, Camille. I was just thinking about what you said earlier. You know, about us both staying with Emily. But Emily's already here, at my place."
Camille paused, a flicker of confusion crossing her face before she shrugged it off with a light laugh. "Oh, right. I must have misspoken. It's been a crazy day. But no worries, I'm here now."
Mindy nodded, deciding to let go of the odd moment. The day had been stressful enough, and she didn't want to dwell on something so small. "Yeah, no worries. Come in and make yourself comfortable."
As Camille stepped further into the apartment, she pulled out three bottles of champagne from the bag she was carrying. "I thought we could all use something to relax after today. I brought champagne for us. What do you say?"
Mindy's eyes lit up at the sight of the bottles. "Champagne sounds perfect. Emily's already asleep, though. She was exhausted."
Camille glanced toward the guest room and nodded, a soft smile playing on her lips. "Poor thing. She's been through so much. We'll let her sleep, but you and I can have a glass. Maybe it'll help us unwind a bit."
Mindy agreed, and the two of them made their way to the kitchen, where they poured themselves glasses of the chilled champagne. As they clinked their glasses together, trying to lighten the mood, Mindy couldn't help but notice that Camille seemed unusually calm. Given everything that had happened, it struck her as a bit odd, but she quickly pushed the thought aside. Maybe Camille was just better at hiding her fear than she was.
Back in the guest room, Emily had finally managed to drift into a light, uneasy sleep. The apartment was quiet, save for the occasional clinking of glasses from the kitchen, which barely registered in her exhausted mind. But her sleep was not restful. It was plagued with fragmented dreams, disjointed images of Doug's face, his voice, the ominous feeling of being watched.
Suddenly, her phone buzzed on the nightstand, the sound cutting through the quiet like a knife. Emily's eyes flew open, her heart pounding as she reached for the phone. The screen displayed an unknown number.
Her first instinct was to ignore it—she had been receiving calls from unknown numbers ever since Doug had started harassing her, and they only ever brought more fear. But something in the back of her mind told her to pick up. Maybe it was the idea that it could be something important, or maybe it was just the overwhelming anxiety that had her on edge.
She hesitated for a moment, her finger hovering over the screen, before she finally swiped to answer the call.
"Hello?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
There was no response at first—only silence, heavy and suffocating. Emily's heart began to race even faster. "Hello?" she repeated, a bit louder this time.
Then, a low, familiar chuckle echoed through the phone, sending a chill down her spine. "Emily… It's been a while, hasn't it?"
Emily's blood ran cold. She recognized that voice instantly—Doug. Her breath caught in her throat, and she felt a wave of nausea wash over her. "What do you want?" she managed to choke out, her voice trembling.
"Oh, Emily," Doug's voice was soft, almost mocking. "You know what I want. I've been watching you. You think you can run away? That you can hide from me? You can't. I'm always there, Emily. Always."
Emily's hand began to shake so violently that she almost dropped the phone. She felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "Leave me alone, Doug. I swear, I'll call the police."
Doug laughed again, the sound cruel and cold. "Go ahead. Call them. They can't protect you, Emily. No one can."
The words hung in the air, a dark promise that chilled her to the bone. Before she could respond, the call abruptly ended, leaving her staring at the blank screen in horror.
Emily sat there, her mind racing, unable to process what had just happened. She wanted to scream, to cry, to do anything to release the fear that had taken hold of her. But she was frozen, paralyzed by the realization that Doug was still out there, still watching her, and that he was closer than she had ever imagined.
The phone buzzed again, the same unknown number flashing on the screen. Emily couldn't bring herself to answer it this time. Instead, she let it ring, each chime echoing in her ears like a death knell. When the ringing finally stopped, she threw the phone onto the bed, as if it had burned her, and buried her face in her hands.
A moment later, she heard footsteps approaching the guest room door. She looked up, her eyes wide with terror, as Mindy and Camille appeared in the doorway.
"Emily, are you okay?" Mindy asked, her voice filled with concern. She had heard the phone ringing and knew something was wrong.
Emily shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "It was him," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Doug… He called me. He said he's watching me."
Mindy's expression hardened with anger, while Camille's face grew pale. "That bastard," Mindy muttered, wrapping her arms around Emily in a protective embrace. "We're not going to let him hurt you, Emily. We'll figure this out."
Camille nodded, her earlier calm now replaced with worry. "We'll go to the police again. We'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe."
But even as they spoke, Emily couldn't shake the feeling that Doug's words were more than just a threat—they were a promise. And as she sat there, clinging to her friends, she couldn't help but wonder how long she could hold on before the fear consumed her completely.