Digital Dare

CHAPTER NINE : Echoes Of Fear

The house was eerily quiet, the kind of silence that made the creak of every floorboard and the whisper of the wind seem deafening. Avery sat at the kitchen table, her hands wrapped tightly around a cold cup of coffee. She hadn’t taken a sip in hours, the bitter liquid long forgotten as her mind raced through the events of the night.

Liam was pacing again, his steps slow and methodical, like a predator trapped in a cage. He hadn’t spoken much since Ethan had left the previous evening, disappearing into the woods.

Avery glanced at the clock on the wall, its ticking echoing in the stillness. It was well past dawn, the sun creeping higher into the sky, casting long shadows across the floor. Yet, there was no sign of Ethan, no sound of footsteps approaching, no voice calling out to them.

"Do you think he’s okay?" Avery finally asked, breaking the silence that had settled between them. Her voice was soft, almost hesitant, as if she was afraid of the answer.

Liam paused, his eyes flickering towards the door, then back to her. "I don’t know," he admitted, his voice heavy with worry. "He should have been back by now."

Avery nodded, her fingers tightening around the mug as a shiver ran down her spine. She hated this—this waiting, this uncertainty. Every second that passed without news from Ethan only added to the knot of fear growing in her chest.

"What if…" Her voice trailed off, the unspoken question hanging in the air. What if something happened to him? What if the app had claimed another victim?

Minutes ticked by, each one stretching out longer than the last. Avery’s eyes kept darting to the window, hoping to see Ethan emerge from the woods, but the path remained empty.

And then, just as the tension in the room became unbearable, the door creaked open, and Sophie stepped inside.

Avery rushed over to her and enveloped her in a tight hug. "Are you okay? Did the app hurt you?" She asked, panic and concern etched across her face.

"I'm. . . fine!" Sophie managed to say. "Where. . . where are Chloe and Ethan?" She asked, scanning across the room to spot them somewhere.

Avery and Liam exchanged a quick, uneasy glance. Avery shifted uncomfortably, her hands twisting nervously. "Chloe...she's not here anymore," Avery replied, her voice barely above a whisper. The words felt heavy in her mouth, like a confession she didn't want to make.

Sophie’s brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean, 'not here anymore'? Did something happen?"

Liam, who had been pacing, stopped and leaned against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. His jaw was clenched, and he looked like he was struggling to find the right words. "She didn’t do her dare," he said flatly. "The app… it punished her."

Sophie's eyes widened slightly, but she remained composed. "Punished her? How?"

"She died," Avery said, her voice cracking. She couldn’t meet Sophie’s gaze. "The app made sure of it."

A brief flicker of something—fear, recognition—passed over Sophie. "And Ethan? Where is he?"

"We don’t know," Liam replied, his voice laced with frustration. "He went out last night and hadn't returned."

Sophie nodded slowly, processing the information. "So it’s just the three of us now," she said, more to herself than to them. Her mind was racing, thinking of the game, the dares, the price of failure.

Avery noticed the distant look in Sophie’s eyes and felt a pang of unease. "Sophie," she began cautiously, "what do we do now? The app isn’t going to stop, is it?"