The library's silence was alive with whispers Joy couldn't quite hear.
Shadows clung to the corners like they were waiting.
The air was heavy, oppressive, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath.
Joy sat at one of the ancient oak tables, surrounded by scattered notes and books.
The dim lighting above barely reached her, the bulb flickering sporadically.
Every creak and shuffle echoed through the empty space, the sound of her pen scratching against paper unnaturally loud.
Her eyes burned from hours of reading, but she couldn't stop now. She was close—she could feel it.
This book, bound in cracked leather and smelling of mold, is her only hope now.
Its brittle pages held secrets about the symbol Maya had carved into her desk, the same symbol that haunted Joy's nightmares.
She flipped another page. A drawing of the symbol stared back at her, dark ink glistening as if freshly drawn. Beneath it, an ominous caption:
"The Mark of the Watcher: A binding sigil for summoning the unseen."
Joy's breath hitched. The room suddenly felt colder.
Her phone vibrated on the table, the buzz cutting through the stillness like a scream.
Joy jumped, her heart pounding. She grabbed it, the screen glowing faintly in the gloom.
"Where are you? Emily's freaking out," Samuel had texted.
Joy hesitated. She didn't have the energy to explain the weight crushing her chest or the feeling that something unseen was watching her. She type back quickly: "Library. I'm fine."
The lie came easily but left a bitter taste.
She put the phone down, her focus returning to the book.
The text on the page described the Watcher as an entity drawn to those who carried deep fears, its presence like a shadow clinging to their soul.
Joy shivered, suddenly hyperaware of the darkness pressing in around her.
Am I imagining this? she wondered.
The lights flickered again, longer this time.
The hum of electricity wavered, turning into an almost inaudible growl.
She froze, every instinct screaming at her to run. But where would she go?
Her phone buzzed again. The screen lit up with a new message.
"You shouldn't be there."
The number was unknown.
Joy's stomach twisted. She stared at the screen, her mind racing. Who could it be?
Before she could respond, another message appeared.
"Leave. Before it sees you."
Her blood turned to ice.
She typed back with trembling hands: "Who is this?"
The reply came instantly.
"Too late."
The overhead lights went out.
Darkness enveloped the room, swallowing her whole.
Her phone became her only source of light, its faint glow illuminating the immediate area around her.
Joy grabbed it and stood, her pulse thundering in her ears.
"Hello?" she called out, her voice echoing unnaturally.
No response.
She took a cautious step away from the table.
The shadows around her seemed to shift and stretch, alive with an unnatural energy.
A rustling sound came from the far end of the library.
It was faint, like fabric brushing against wood, but it made her breath hitch.
"Is someone there?" she whispered, clutching her phone tightly.
The rustling stopped.
Her phone buzzed again. She glanced down at the screen, dread curling in her chest.
"It's watching you."
Joy's hands shook as she slowly lifted her phone, using its light to scan the room.
The beam caught the edges of bookshelves, tables, and chairs, all eerily still. But in the far corner, something moved.
At first, she thought it was her imagination. A trick of the light.
But then she saw it—a tall, impossibly thin figure standing just beyond the glow of her phone. Its limbs were too long, its head cocked at an unnatural angle.
Joy stumbled back, nearly dropping her phone.
"Stay away!" she shouted, her voice cracking.
The figure didn't move. It just stood there, watching.
Her phone buzzed again. She risked a glance at the screen.
"Run."
The figure stepped forward.
Joy turned and bolted, her footsteps echoing as she weaved through the maze of bookshelves.
The air felt heavier with every step, as if the darkness itself were pressing down on her.
She reach the library's main door and yank on the handle. It didn't budge.
"No, no, no!" she gasped, pulling harder.
Behind her, the sound of footsteps begin slow, deliberate, and impossibly loud.
She turned to look, her heart hammering.
The figure was closer now, its jerky movements unnerving.
Its face was still hidden, but she could feel its gaze piercing through her.
Her phone buzzed again.
"Don't look."
She looked anyway.
The figure was gone.
Joy blinked, her mind racing. It had been there, she was certain of it. But now the aisle was empty, the shadows undisturbed.
A whisper broke the silence, soft and cold.
"Joy…"
The sound came from everywhere and nowhere, wrapping around her like a caress. She clamped her hands over her ears, shaking her head.
"This isn't real," she muttered. "This isn't real."
But the whispers continued, growing louder, overlapping until they become a deafening roar.
"You belong to us."
Her phone buzz again. She didn't dare look at it this time, too afraid of what she might see.
The whispers stopped suddenly, leaving an eerie silence in their wake.
Joy lowered her hands slowly, her breaths coming in ragged gasps.
"Please," she whispered. "Just leave me alone."
A laugh echoed through the library, low and guttural.
Her phone buzzed. The light from the screen flickered erratically as a new message appeared.
"Turn around."
She couldn't move. Fear rooted her in place, her body frozen as the weight of the darkness bore down on her.
"Turn around, Joy."
The voice was louder this time, spoken aloud, not on the phone. It was deep and inhuman, vibrating through her chest like a growl.
She turned.
The figure loomed over her, impossibly close. Its face was a void, a swirling darkness that seemed to pull at her very soul.
Joy screamed and threw her phone at it. The screen shattered on impact, plunging her into total darkness.
The next few seconds were a blur of movement and sound.
Joy ran blindly, her hands outstretched to avoid colliding with the shelves.
The whispers returned, louder and more frantic, chasing her through the library.
She trippers and fall hard, her knees scraping against the cold floor. Pain shot through her legs, but she didn't stop.
She crawl forward, her fingers clawing at the ground in desperation.
Then, everything went silent.
She froze, her body trembling.
A voice spoke, soft and cold, right next to her ear.
"You can't escape. You're ours now."
The world spin, and the darkness swallow her whole.
Joy wake with a start, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. She was no longer in the library.
Her apartment surrounded her, the soft glow of the table lamp casting long shadows across the room.
Her phone buzzed on the coffee table, the screen lighting up with a new message.
"Did you enjoy the warning?"
Joy's hands trembled as she picked it up. The number was unknown.
On the floor beside her is the book she'd been reading in the library, open to the page with the symbol.
Scrawl across it in thick, black ink were the words:
"See you soon."