Daniel didn’t remember driving to Emily’s house.
One moment he was sitting on his bed, staring at his phone, and the next he was standing outside her front door, his hand hovering in the air before knocking.
The morning felt wrong. The sun was out, people were going about their normal lives, and yet everything felt off. Like the world was moving forward without realizing something important was missing.
He knocked.
Once.
Twice.
His heart beat faster with every second that passed, Finally, the door opened.Emily’s mother stood there, her expression shifting from surprise to confusion. “Daniel?” she said. “What are you doing here so early?”
He tried to keep his voice steady. “Is Emily home?” She frowned slightly. “I think so. She didn’t come down for breakfast yet. She’s probably still asleep.”
Daniel felt a small sense of relief, but it didn’t last, “Can I see her?” he asked.
She hesitated for only a moment before stepping aside. “Of course.” He walked inside, his eyes scanning everything without meaning to. The living room looked normal. The TV was on quietly. A cup of coffee sat on the table. Nothing looked out of place.
Nothing looked wrong, But it felt wrong.
They walked upstairs together, the sound of their footsteps echoing in the quiet house. Daniel’s chest tightened with each step. He didn’t know why he felt so nervous. Maybe because of the message. Maybe because of the silence.
Emily’s mother stopped in front of her bedroom door and knocked gently. ”Emily?” she called. No answer.
She knocked again, louder this time. Still nothing.
Daniel’s stomach twisted, Slowly, she turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. The room was empty.
For a moment, neither of them said anything.
Her bed was neatly made, exactly the way Emily always left it. Her curtains were slightly open, letting sunlight spill across the floor. Her desk was clean. Her books were stacked neatly.
Everything was in place.
Except her.
Daniel stepped inside, his heart pounding.
“Emily?” he said quietly, even though he already knew she wasn’t there, The silence answered him.
Her mother walked in behind him, her confusion turning into something else. Something closer to worry. “That’s strange,” she said softly. “She never leaves without telling me.”
Daniel noticed her charger plugged into the wall. But her phone wasn’t there.
His chest tightened.
She had her phone last night.
She had sent him that message.
He turned to her mother. “Have you heard from her at all today?” She shook her head slowly. “No.”
Before either of them could say anything else, her phone rang.
The sound broke the silence sharply.
She answered it quickly. “Hello?”
Daniel watched her face as she listened.
He saw the exact moment her expression changed.
Confusion.
Then shock.
“What do you mean you found it?” she asked. Daniel’s heart dropped.
She listened for a few more seconds, her grip tightening on the phone, “Yes,” she said quietly. “Yes, that’s hers.”
She hung up slowly.
Daniel’s voice felt dry when he spoke. “What happened?”
She looked at him.
“They found her phone.”
The words didn’t feel real.
“Where?” he asked.
“On Millbrook Road.”
Daniel frowned. Millbrook Road wasn’t anywhere near her house. It wasn’t near her school either. There was no reason for her phone to be there, Unless she had been theren Or someone had taken it there. They drove together in silence. Daniel stared out the window, his mind racing with thoughts he couldn’t control. He kept remembering the message. The way it had sounded like a warning. Like she knew something was going to happen.
When they arrived, a police car was parked near the sidewalk. An officer stood beside it, holding something inside a clear plastic evidence bag, Daniel recognized it instantly. Emily’s phone. He would recognize that blue case anywhere.
Her mother stepped forward. “I’m Emily Harper’s mother.” The officer nodded. “We found this early this morning. A man walking his dog saw it lying near the road and brought it in.”
Daniel stepped closer, his eyes fixed on the phone.
It looked normal.
Untouched.
Like nothing had happened.
“When was the last time you saw her?” the officer asked. Her mother shook her head. “Last night.”
Daniel hesitated before speaking. “She texted me at 11:47 PM.” The officer looked at him. “What did the message say?”
Daniel swallowed.
He remembered the exact words, If anything happens to me, it wasn’t an accident. Saying it out loud made it feel worse.
The officer’s expression grew more serious as he wrote something down.
Daniel stared at the phone inside the evidence bag.
It was so close, Yet Emily was nowhere.He felt a strange helplessness settle inside him,her phone was here but she wasn’t and that was the part that scared him the most because phones didn’t just end up in random places by themselves someone had put it there which meant someone knew where she was or what had happened to her.
Daniel felt a chill run through him, for the first time since he woke up, the truth began to settle in, Emily wasn’t just missing something had happened to her.
Something bad.
And whatever it was…
She had known.