Chapter 30 – Disappearance

Chapter 30 – Disappearance
Emily stood in the doorway of her bedroom, frozen, her stomach twisting itself into impossible knots. The necklace lay on her nightstand, glittering faintly under the dim lamp light. Sarah’s necklace.

The one she never took off that night.

Emily’s breath caught in her throat. She reached out with trembling fingers, brushing the cool chain as though it might vanish if she touched it. A chill crawled down her spine. Sarah would not leave this here.

Her heart pounded. She grabbed her phone off the bed and dialled Sarah’s number.

It rang once... Twice.... Three times... they all went straight to voicemail.

“Sarah, it is me. Please call me back. I... I found your necklace in my room. Are you okay? Please tell me you are okay.”

Her voice cracked on the last word. She hung up, then immediately called again. And again. Each time, the silence on the other end cut deeper.

Emily’s hands shook as she sent a flurry of texts.

~ Where are you?
~Please answer me.
~This isn’t funny, Sarah.
~I’m scared.

Minutes dragged by, each one stretching like a blade against her nerves. No reply.

Emily began pacing, her bare feet dragging against the rug, her mind spinning in violent circles. Sarah was gone. She had to be. The necklace was not a coincidence. She knew it was a message. A calling card.

Alex.

The name pulsed in her mind like a curse. He had taken her. He must have. He had been circling them like a predator... always in the background.., always smiling that too-perfect smile. Emily’s throat tightened as she remembered the gala, the way he had danced with that woman who looked like Lisa, the way everyone had adored him while only she saw the cracks.

Now Sarah was missing. And Alex was the only answer that made sense.

Her phone buzzed.

Emily nearly dropped it as she snatched it up, desperate to see Sarah’s name on the screen. But her chest hollowed when she saw the notification.

Unknown Number.

Her stomach sank.

With a shaky breath, she opened the message.

~ She’s prettier when she begs. Want to hear her scream?

Emily’s blood turned to ice. She staggered back against the wall, one hand pressed to her mouth. Tears pricked her eyes.

“No,” she whispered. “No, no, no…”

Her fingers trembled as she typed back.

~ Where is she? What did you do to her?

No reply.

Her body trembled violently. She wanted to scream... to run... to tear the city apart brick by brick until she found Sarah. But she could not move. Her chest squeezed tighter... suffocating her as images filled her mind ..... Sarah tied up, Sarah crying, Sarah calling for help while no one came.

Then her phone buzzed again. Another message from the unknown number.

This time, there was an attachment.

Emily’s heart stopped.

An audio file.

For a moment, she could not move, her thumb hovering above the screen. Every instinct screamed not to press play, not to confirm her worst fear. But the thought of Sarah forced her hand.

She tapped it.

At first, only static filled the air. Then, faintly, a muffled sound. Breathing. A whimper. A voice that was unmistakable.

Sarah.

Emily’s legs gave out and she slid down the wall, clutching the phone to her ear as Sarah’s broken sobs filled the room.

“Please,” Sarah’s voice cracked, barely audible through the gag. “Don’t... please.... ”

And then a man’s laugh it was deep and cruel, vibrating through the recording.

Emily dropped the phone like it had burned her, clapping both hands over her mouth to stifle a scream. Her whole body shook with terror, bile rising in her throat.

The laugh echoed in her head, burrowing deep into her bones.

He had Sarah.

Emily curled into herself, rocking back and forth on the floor as the tears finally broke free, her heart splitting with every sound from the recording replaying in her mind.

But beneath the fear, beneath the grief, something else ignited inside her.

Rage.

The killer thought he could play with them. He thought he could break her. But if he wanted her to hear Sarah’s screams, then he had underestimated her.

Emily wiped her tears, forcing herself to sit upright. Her hands were still shaking, her breaths shallow, but a spark of determination hardened in her chest.

She whispered into the empty room, her voice raw.

“I am coming for you, Sarah. I swear, I will find you. I would not let him win.”

The phone buzzed again on the floor, vibrating against the wood. Emily picked it up with trembling fingers, dreading what she would see.

Another message.​