Echoes of Yesterday

Part 23 - Betrayal Ticks Within

All I could think of were Maya's words to Sarah: "I even planted his ring on that body in the cave. The cops won't question it." It echoed over and over in my mind, chilling me to the bone. So, the body wasn't Tristan. That meant... was he still alive? Or had Maya hidden him somewhere? I had no idea how far her web of deception stretched. The thought of her watching Sarah—having people watch her—made it all the more disturbing. How was she even doing that?

Before I could spiral further into my thoughts, Theo broke the silence. "Let's sleep," he said softly, his voice heavy with exhaustion. It sounded simple, but I felt the tension in the air, thick like the forest around us.

Maya's hand slipped into mine, her grip gentle, but something in the gesture made my skin crawl. It wasn't just the touch. It was the watch on her wrist. As she held my hand, I noticed a faint light pulsing from under the face of the watch. I blinked, trying not to make my curiosity obvious. The more I looked, the more I realized it wasn't an ordinary watch. There was no ticking, no hands moving like an analog watch. I didn't dare ask Maya what it was, but something about it felt wrong. Too sleek, too precise.

We lay down, and one by one, the others drifted into an uneasy sleep. But I couldn't close my eyes. The more I thought about that watch, the more unsettled I felt. What was it really? My mind raced with possibilities, each one darker than the last. Was this how she was watching people? Or was it something else entirely?

I waited until Maya's breathing deepened, signaling she was asleep. Then, ever so slowly, I leaned closer to her wrist. The faint glow from the watch was still there, flickering softly. I had to know.

With trembling fingers, I reached for it, moving slowly so as not to wake her. My hand hovered just above the surface, but nothing happened. I frowned, confused. It didn't seem like I could touch it, as if something was stopping me. I tried again, but the watch remained unresponsive, the glow mocking me in its stillness.

Frustrated, I paused and thought. Maya wasn't careless; she wouldn't wear something like this unless it had a purpose. Maybe there was a way to wake it up, a specific way it operated.

Then it hit me. What if it wasn't about physical touch? What if it responded to movement, sound, or... maybe heat?

Taking a deep breath, I rubbed my thumb and index finger together, trying to generate warmth. Slowly, I hovered my hand just above the watch again, but this time, as I held it closer, the faint glow pulsed brighter, reacting to the heat. My pulse quickened. I was onto something.

I brought my hand even closer, the warmth radiating from my fingers touching the surface of the watch. Suddenly, the glow intensified, and the face of the watch shifted. The smooth surface rippled like water, and I saw what looked like symbols flash briefly before the face went dark again.

What was that?

My heart pounded in my chest as I pulled my hand back. Whatever the watch was, it wasn't just for telling time. There was more to it—something deeply hidden. And Maya was using it for something far beyond what I could have imagined. Maybe it was linked to how she was controlling everything, watching Sarah, and keeping her secrets hidden. The pulse, the symbols—it was all part of something bigger.

But how could I figure out what it really did without waking her? I knew I had to try again, and this time, I would push further.

I hesitated, my hand hovering over Maya's wrist again, the strange pulse of the watch almost hypnotic in its steady rhythm. The flicker of the light made my heart race as I debated whether I should risk trying to activate it again. Every part of me screamed that I was dancing too close to danger, but I couldn't stop now. If this watch held the answers to everything Maya was hiding, I had to know.

I glanced around, making sure the others were still asleep. Eric and Theo's quiet breathing filled the cave, the soft crackle of the dying fire the only other sound. Maya shifted slightly in her sleep, her grip loosening on my hand, giving me the opportunity to slip my hand free.

This time, I steadied my breathing and leaned closer to the watch. The memory of those strange symbols flashing briefly before the screen went dark stuck in my mind. There had to be a pattern, a sequence, something to unlock it fully. My fingers hovered just above the watch face again, and I tried to remember the feeling when the glow intensified, the heat making it respond.

I exhaled softly, warming my fingertips again, letting the warmth radiate before I lowered my hand towards the watch. As my fingers neared the surface, the light flickered brighter once more, but this time, I traced my fingers along the air just above the surface, following an invisible pattern. It felt instinctual, like the symbols had burned into my mind, and as I followed that sensation, the watch seemed to respond.

Suddenly, a soft hum vibrated from the watch, and the face rippled again—this time more distinct. Symbols appeared, swirling in a circular formation like a code. I froze, watching as the surface changed, revealing a faint, holographic display just above it.

Numbers. Coordinates. Timers. My breath caught as I realized what I was seeing.

This wasn't just a watch.

It was some kind of tracking device.

There was a faint outline of a map, glowing faintly beneath the coordinates. And there, blinking on the map, were two points. One of them was right where we were—the cave. The other? My pulse quickened as I traced it further, to a remote location in the woods.

Was that where Tristan was? Could this be how Maya was watching people, controlling their movements? My mind raced with possibilities, but I couldn't linger too long. The coordinates shifted, and I saw a name flash across the screen—Sarah.

It was tracking her. That's how Maya knew everything. She was using this device to monitor Sarah's movements, keeping tabs on her every step.

I pulled my hand back, trying to steady my breathing. My heart pounded in my chest as the realization sank in. If Maya knew I had tampered with her watch, I'd be the next one she would track. My mind swirled with fear and the weight of what I'd uncovered.

I had to move fast, had to warn Sarah, had to figure out if Tristan was alive.

But as I leaned back, the watch gave one last pulse, and then went dark again, as if sensing that I was done. I exhaled slowly, slipping my hand away from Maya entirely. My head buzzed with everything I had learned, but I couldn't let on that I knew. Not yet.

I lay down, closing my eyes, pretending to sleep. But sleep wouldn't come. All I could see were those blinking coordinates and the unanswered question gnawing at me:Was Tristan out there somewhere, or was this another layer of Maya's twisted game?