The morning sun cast a weak light through the blinds of Veronica and Reggie's apartment as they prepared breakfast. The usual excitement of cooking together was absent, replaced by the unsettling weight of the paranormal events they'd been experiencing. The apartment felt heavier, as if something was lurking in the shadows, watching their every move.
"We're running out of food," Reggie muttered as he peered into the fridge. "Maybe we should hit the grocery store later?"
Veronica nodded distractedly. "Yeah, Jay-C's nearby, right? We'll go after this." She set the table, but her mind wasn't on breakfast. Her thoughts kept drifting to the eerie happenings that had escalated over the past few nights.
Reggie glanced at her, noticing her far-off expression. "What's up, Ronnie?"
Veronica shook her head and sighed. "I keep thinking about those photos we took last night. I think we need to look at them again before we head out. Something doesn't feel right."
Reggie's brow furrowed. "You think we missed something?"
"I don't know, but after everything that's happened, I wouldn't be surprised if we did." Veronica grabbed the camera from their bedroom, and they both sat down at the kitchen table, flipping through the photos.
The earlier shots were uneventful—mostly the party guests having fun, laughing, and enjoying themselves. Then came the orbs—small, faint lights hovering near the ceiling in Veronica's office. As they went through the pictures, they noticed strange lights near the urn of Diana D'Ambrosio, but it was the final photo that made Veronica's heart drop.
A full-bodied apparition of a woman stood in the office bathroom, her head bowed, hands covering her face, and her body shuddering as if sobbing. Her figure was translucent but unmistakably human.
"Holy shit…" Reggie whispered, staring at the photo, his voice barely audible.
Veronica felt her throat tighten, her stomach twisting in fear. "That's... that's her, isn't it? Diana."
"Looks like it. But why is she crying?" Reggie asked, his eyes locked on the image.
Veronica's phone buzzed on the table, breaking the tension for a brief moment. She checked the screen. Their group chat had exploded with text messages, everyone sharing their thoughts on the photos they had taken the night before. Cheryl had captured something strange too—unexplained shadows in the hallway, and Jughead had managed to catch a faint whisper on his EVP recorder.
"This just keeps getting creepier," Veronica muttered, sending the photo of the sobbing woman to the group.
Reggie stood up and stretched. "Alright, let's get some groceries, then we can deal with all of this later."
They left for Jay-C to restock their pantry, but the ominous feeling lingered with them throughout the trip. Even as they picked up ingredients for their planned Mexican dinner, neither could shake the feeling of being watched.
When they returned to the apartment, grocery bags in hand, Veronica's phone rang. She glanced at the caller ID, and her heart skipped a beat—it was Giovanni D'Ambrosio, Diana's grandfather.
"Hello?" Veronica answered, exchanging a glance with Reggie.
"Veronica," Giovanni's voice crackled over the line. "I hope I'm not disturbing you, but I wanted to inform you of something important."
Veronica frowned. "What is it?"
"Diana's son, Oliver, has been wanting to speak with you. He just found out your number from Betty, and he's eager to share some things... personal things about his mother and what happened in that apartment."
Veronica froze, her mind racing. "Oliver? I didn't even know he knew about us."
Giovanni sighed. "He's been keeping his distance, but after hearing what you and Reggie have been going through, he feels like it's time you heard the truth."
Veronica swallowed hard. "What truth?"
Before Giovanni could respond, another call came through. Veronica's phone screen flashed with Oliver's name. She quickly said goodbye to Giovanni and switched to Oliver's call, her hands trembling.
"Veronica? This is Oliver," his voice came through, heavy with emotion.
"Oliver, I—yeah, I wasn't expecting to hear from you, but I'm glad you called. We... we need to know what's going on. We found an urn with your mom's name in the apartment, and things have been... happening."
Oliver sighed deeply. "Yeah, I was afraid of that. There's something you need to know about my mother."
Veronica motioned for Reggie to sit beside her, and they both listened intently as Oliver began to speak.
"My mom, Diana, went through hell after her divorce with my dad, Marcello. He was... not a good man. He physically abused her, and when they divorced, he became obsessed with getting more of her money. My mom and I moved into that apartment to get away from him, but it wasn't enough."
Reggie's hand tightened on Veronica's as Oliver's voice trembled.
"One night, Marcello showed up uninvited. He broke in, attacked my mom, and dragged her across the floor. I hid in the closet, too scared to do anything. He... he shot her. Three times."
"Oh my god," Veronica whispered, her heart breaking at the horror of it.
"I called the police, but by the time they got there, Marcello was gone. He went on the run, but a few days later, he came back to the apartment and shot himself. That apartment has been a nightmare for me ever since."
Reggie was speechless, his face pale.
Veronica found her voice. "Oliver, I'm so sorry. But... why is there an urn in the apartment?"
Oliver hesitated. "I put it there. I've been trying to communicate with her spirit. The silver locket you found? I used it to connect with her. The blood on the locket... it's mine. I thought it might help reach her."
Veronica and Reggie exchanged horrified glances. "You... you used blood to communicate with her?"
"I was desperate. After what my dad did to her, I couldn't let her spirit rest without knowing I was trying to find peace for her."
Veronica and Reggie sat in stunned silence for a moment before Veronica spoke. "We've been seeing things, Oliver. A sobbing woman, strange noises, shadows..."
"That's her. She's stuck there, reliving the worst night of her life."
Veronica's breath caught in her throat. "What do we do?"
"I don't know. But whatever you do, don't get too close to that locket or the urn. It only brings more darkness."
They ended the call, the weight of Oliver's revelations pressing down on them.
Veronica and Reggie immediately texted their friends in the group chat, sharing everything Oliver had told them. The responses were a mix of horror, concern, and disbelief. Jughead was the first to reply, suggesting they bring in a professional medium or exorcist. Cheryl, true to form, suggested burning the locket.
As the night descended, the tension in the apartment grew thick once more. They sat together in the living room, barely touching their Mexican dinner, both of them lost in thought.
"We need to figure this out," Reggie said, his voice firm. "We can't live like this. We're not just dealing with a haunting—we're dealing with something much worse."
Veronica nodded, her eyes haunted. "We'll deal with it, Reg. But first, we need to find a way to help Diana move on."
They spent the rest of the evening contacting their friends, trying to piece together a plan. The apartment seemed to hum with dark energy, and they knew that whatever happened next, it would push them to the limits of what they could handle.