Beneath the Surface

Shifting Shadows

The rain fell in thick sheets, painting the city in shades of gray. It had been three days since Sophie's death, and the world outside seemed as bleak as Ava's thoughts. She sat in her car, parked outside her apartment, staring through the windshield as the water blurred the streetlights into hazy orbs. Her fingers clenched the steering wheel, her knuckles white, as she replayed the last few days over and over in her mind.

Damien had gone radio silent since that night, leaving Ava and Patrick to wrestle with their own questions and doubts. Sophie's body had been quietly removed by a group of men Damien claimed were "handling the situation," but the eerie phone call that followed haunted Ava's every waking moment.

"You're too late."

She hadn't been able to shake those words.

Ava glanced at her phone, half-hoping for a message from Damien, but there was nothing. Just more silence. Patrick had been texting her nonstop, his fury palpable through every word, but Ava hadn't replied. She didn't know what to say. Damien's betrayal-or was it Sophie's?-had left her feeling adrift, unsure of who to trust.

Suddenly, the phone buzzed in her lap, snapping her from her thoughts. It wasn't Damien or Patrick this time. The name on the screen made her heart skip a beat.

Alexis.

The text was simple: "We need to talk. I know what's happening."

Ava blinked, confusion swirling in her chest. Alexis was a friend she hadn't spoken to in months-since long before the chaos had started. Why now? What did Alexis know?

Ava hesitated for a moment, her fingers hovering over the screen, then quickly typed back: "Where?"

The reply came almost instantly: "The diner on 8th. 30 minutes."

Thirty minutes later, Ava slid into a booth at the back of the diner, her heart pounding in her chest. The familiar scent of grease and coffee clung to the air, but it did nothing to calm her nerves. She hadn't seen Alexis in so long, yet here she was, feeling like they were on the cusp of something life-altering.

The bell above the door jingled, and Alexis walked in, her eyes scanning the room until they landed on Ava. She looked the same as always-tall, confident, with her dark hair pulled into a messy bun and her leather jacket slung over her shoulder. But there was something different in her eyes. Something darker.

She slid into the booth across from Ava, dropping her jacket beside her. "You look like you've been through hell," she said, her tone soft but direct.

Ava shrugged. "Feels like it."

Alexis sighed, leaning back in the booth and eyeing her friend with concern. "I know things have been...weird between us. I've been keeping my distance because of...well, you know." She trailed off, as if unsure how much to reveal. "But when I heard what happened to Sophie, I knew I had to come back."

Ava frowned. "How did you hear about Sophie?"

"I have my ways." Alexis's voice was cryptic, but her expression softened as she leaned in closer. "Listen, Ava, I know you've been in over your head with all of this. And I know you're probably trying to figure out who to trust, but I can help you. We can figure out who's behind everything."

Ava wanted to believe her, but the paranoia had taken root. "Why should I trust you now?"

Alexis didn't flinch. "Because I know who the real enemy is. And it's not who you think."

The rain had eased into a gentle drizzle by the time they left the diner. Alexis walked beside Ava, her hands shoved deep into her pockets. They strolled in silence for a while, the city's hum filling the gaps in their conversation.

Eventually, Alexis spoke again, her voice low and cautious. "You remember Nathan, right?"

Ava tensed at the mention of his name. Nathan. Patrick's older brother. The one who had left town years ago without a word and hadn't been heard from since. He'd always had a strange hold over Patrick, an influence Ava never quite understood. But what did he have to do with this?

"Why are you bringing him up?" Ava asked, her voice sharper than intended.

Alexis stopped walking and turned to face her. "Because Nathan didn't just disappear. He's been involved in this mess from the start."

Ava's breath caught in her throat. "What do you mean?"

"Nathan didn't leave town," Alexis said, her tone grave. "He's been working with Damien-and Sophie-behind the scenes, pulling strings. Whatever you've been caught up in, whatever this...game is, he's part of it."

The revelation hit Ava like a punch to the gut. Patrick had never mentioned Nathan's involvement in anything shady. He had always framed his brother's departure as a mystery, a personal loss. But this?

"What are you saying? Nathan's the one behind everything?"

Alexis shook her head. "Not entirely. But he knows more than he's letting on. And if you want answers, you're going to need to talk to him."

Back in her apartment that night, Ava sat on her couch, the lights dim, as the reality of what Alexis had told her began to sink in. Nathan's reappearance opened up a whole new web of deception. But something still didn't sit right.

Damien's disappearance, Sophie's death, the cryptic phone calls-it all felt like part of a larger puzzle. Nathan might have answers, but he couldn't be the mastermind. There was something-or someone-else in the shadows, orchestrating everything.

As Ava's mind raced, her phone buzzed again.

It was Patrick.

"Where have you been? I need to talk to you."

Ava hesitated for a moment, then replied: "Not now, Patrick. We'll talk tomorrow."

But just as she set her phone down, it buzzed again. This time, the message made her blood run cold.

"You're too late."

It was nearly midnight when Ava decided to confront Patrick. She couldn't wait until tomorrow. She threw on her coat and rushed outside into the now pouring rain. Her breath came out in short gasps as she raced to his apartment, her mind replaying the cryptic message over and over. It was too similar to the call from days before, the same chilling words. But this time, it had come from Patrick's number.

When she arrived at his building, the door was slightly ajar. She pushed it open, her heart pounding in her chest. The hallway was eerily quiet, the only sound the rain tapping against the windows.

Ava called his name as she walked through the darkened apartment. No response.

Her foot hit something hard on the floor. She knelt down, squinting in the dim light, and her heart sank as she realized what it was.

Patrick's phone.

Her pulse quickened as she glanced around, the silence now deafening.

Then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw it-a figure slumped on the floor near the window. Her stomach twisted in dread.

"Patrick?" she whispered, stepping closer.

The figure didn't move.

She was only a few feet away when the realization hit her, and the scream tore from her throat.

Patrick was dead.