Cassie didn't sleep.
She couldn't.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it again.
The alley.
The body.
Her face.
And that voice.
"Now they know."
Morning came, but it didn't feel like morning.
It felt like something unfinished.
Something waiting.
Cassie sat on the edge of her bed, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. She hadn't moved much since the call.
Didn't eat.
Didn't rest.
Didn't think clearly.
"They know…"
The words echoed in her head.
Who were they?
And how did they know about her?
A loud knock shattered the silence.
Cassie jumped.
Her heart slammed against her chest.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Cassie! Open the door!"
A male voice.
Firm.
Serious.
Her stomach dropped.
Police.
Slowly, she stood up and walked toward the door.
Her hand hesitated on the handle.
Then—
She opened it.
Two officers stood outside.
One older, calm but sharp-eyed.
The other younger, watching her carefully.
"Cassie Reed?" the older one asked.
She nodded slowly.
"Yes…"
"We need you to come with us."
Her throat went dry.
"…Why?"
The younger officer spoke this time.
"You were seen at the crime scene this morning."
Cassie's grip tightened on the door.
"I just— I heard about it and—"
"And you ran there?" the older officer interrupted.
His eyes didn't leave hers.
"Most people run away from crime scenes."
Cassie swallowed.
"I didn't do anything…"
The older officer studied her for a moment.
Then—
"That's what we're here to find out."
The police station felt colder than it should.
The air heavier.
The walls too close.
Cassie sat across from the older officer, her hands resting stiffly on the table.
A recorder sat between them.
Blinking red.
"Let's start simple," he said calmly. "Why were you at East Street this morning?"
Cassie hesitated.
"I… heard about it at school."
"And you decided to go see a dead body?"
"I didn't know it would be like that!"
Her voice cracked slightly.
The officer leaned back, watching her.
"Witnesses said you looked… shocked."
"I was."
"More than shocked."
Cassie froze.
"They said you looked like you recognized the victim."
Silence.
Cassie's heart pounded violently.
"I didn't…"
She stopped.
Because that was a lie.
The officer leaned forward slightly.
"Did you know her?"
Cassie shook her head quickly.
"No."
"Then why did you run?"
"I—"
She couldn't answer.
Because the truth sounded insane.
Because I saw her die before it happened.
"…I panicked," she whispered instead.
The officer didn't look convinced.
He slid a photo across the table.
Cassie's breath caught.
It was the victim.
Clear.
Uncovered.
Same face.
Same eyes.
Same—
Cassie flinched.
"You reacted the same way at the scene," the officer said quietly.
"Like you'd seen her before."
Cassie shook her head again.
"I didn't…"
But her voice was weak.
Unsteady.
The officer stared at her for a long moment.
Then—
"Alright."
Cassie blinked.
"…That's it?"
"For now."
He stood up.
"You can go. But don't leave town."
Her stomach dropped.
"…You think I did it."
He paused at the door.
Not turning around.
"I think," he said slowly, "you know more than you're telling me."
And then he left.
Cassie stepped out of the station, her legs weak.
The sunlight felt wrong.
Too bright.
Too normal.
"I'm not safe…"
The thought hit her suddenly.
Hard.
That man.
That call.
That voice.
They weren't done with her.
Her phone buzzed again.
Cassie froze.
Slowly… she looked down.
Another unknown number.
Her chest tightened.
"…No…"
But it kept ringing.
And ringing.
Finally—
She answered.
"…What do you want?"
Silence.
Then—
A faint sound.
Not a voice.
A drip.
Cassie's blood ran cold.
Drip… drip… drip…
Her breathing became uneven.
"No…"
It was the same sound.
From the dream.
Her grip tightened on the phone.
"What are you doing?!"
Then—
A whisper.
Closer than before.
"…Watch closely."
The call ended.
Cassie stood frozen.
Her heart pounding violently.
"…Watch what?"
That's when it started.
Her vision blurred.
The world around her faded.
The street.
The people.
The noise—
All gone.
Darkness swallowed everything.
And she was somewhere else.
Again.
A room this time.
Small.
Dim.
A single light flickering above.
Her breath hitched.
"No… not again…"
She looked around.
Desperate.
Terrified.
Then—
She saw it.
A chair.
In the center of the room.
Someone was tied to it.
Cassie's legs moved before she could stop herself.
"No…"
She stepped closer.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The figure's head hung low.
Face hidden.
Body still.
"Hey… can you hear me?" Cassie whispered.
No response.
Her hands trembled as she reached out—
The figure's head snapped up.
Cassie screamed.
Because this time…
It wasn't her face.
It was someone she knew.
A boy from her school.
His eyes wide.
Filled with terror.
Tears streaming down his face.
"…Help me…" he whispered weakly.
Cassie stumbled back.
"No… no, this isn't real…"
But then—
A shadow moved behind him.
Tall.
Dark.
Watching.
The boy's body jerked suddenly.
His breath hitched.
"…He's here…" he cried.
Cassie's heart stopped.
"…Cassie…"
That voice again.
Right behind her.
She turned—
But before she could see anything—
Everything went black.
Cassie gasped as she snapped back to reality.
She was on the ground.
Outside the police station.
People staring at her.
"…Another one…" she whispered.
Her voice shaking.
Her body trembling.
Tears filled her eyes.
"This time… I know him…"
Her heart pounded violently as one terrifying truth settled in.
This wasn't just visions anymore.
It was a countdown.
And she had just seen the next victim.