𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫 {❤️}

{ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 }

Panic set in as I noticed my t-shirts vanishing one by one. It all began with a simple baby pink tee, then a deep blue one followed suit. Despite searching every corner of my home - the kitchen, the lounge, even the eerie spare bedroom - they remained elusive. I had never worn them, reserving them for a future occasion, but their absence gnawed at me.

I brushed it off as mere coincidence, just two shirts missing, insignificant in the grand scheme, or so I thought. But soon, my beloved shoes, my faithful Converse sneakers that had been with me since 2008, vanished without a trace.

In a state of distress, I reached out to Will, I hadn't spoken to him since moving in.

"Hello?" His voice sounded strained.

"Will, I think I'm being robbed," I blurted out.

"What?" His confusion was palpable.

"I think someone's stealing my stuff. It's all gone missing, and I can't find a single trace of them."

"Maddy, I'm in the hospital," he revealed quietly.

My heart sank. "...What?"

"I got hit by a car."

The shock of Will's revelation hit me like a ton of bricks, momentarily overshadowing my own distress. Guilt gnawed at me for not keeping in touch, for not being there when he needed me most.

"I'm so sorry, Will," I whispered, struggling to find the right words to comfort him.

"It's okay, Maddy. I'll be fine," he reassured me weakly.

But even as he spoke, I couldn't shake off the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. My mind raced, trying to make sense of the bizarre string of events unfolding around me. Could Will's accident somehow be connected to the mysterious disappearances in my home?

"I'm coming to the hospital." I spoke with certainty.

As I hung up the phone, a sense of unease settled over me like a dark cloud.

With a determined resolve, I hurried to the hospital, my thoughts consumed by worry for Will and the nagging suspicion that something sinister lurked behind the strange occurrences in my home. As I navigated the familiar streets, a sense of foreboding loomed over me, amplifying the eerie silence of the night.

Arriving at the hospital, I rushed through the sterile corridors, my heart pounding with each step. Finally reaching Will's room, I paused at the doorway, bracing myself for what I might find. Inside, Will lay pale and fragile, his eyes reflecting a mixture of pain and gratitude as he caught sight of me.

"Maddy," he breathed, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm here, Will," I said softly, taking his hand in mine, offering what little comfort I could.

For a fleeting moment, the weight of the world seemed to lift as we exchanged words of reassurance and shared memories of better times. But beneath the surface, an unspoken tension lingered, a silent acknowledgment of the unanswered questions that haunted us both.

As the night wore on, exhaustion crept in, wrapping us in its embrace. With a heavy heart, I reluctantly bid Will farewell, promising to return soon. Exiting the hospital, the darkness of the night enveloped me once more, a stark reminder of the uncertainties that awaited me back home.

With each passing moment, the line between reality and the unknown blurred, leaving me to grapple with the unsettling truth that some mysteries are destined to remain unsolved. And as I made my way back to the empty confines of my home, I couldn't shake the feeling that the worst was yet to come.