The following days passed in a haze of routine—Lisa doing her best to keep her classmates distracted from any further questions about Liam, while he tried to blend in, learning the ropes of high school life. His quiet charm, paired with his uncanny stillness, was becoming more accepted, and Lisa breathed a little easier. At least for now.
But as the week went on, something in Liam began to shift. It was subtle at first—a twitch in his posture, a slight tilt of his head as if listening to something only he could hear. But when Lisa noticed it one afternoon as they sat in the library, studying for their upcoming exams, her stomach tightened. Liam was staring at the empty space next to her with an expression so vacant, it sent a chill down her spine.
"Liam?" Lisa nudged him, her voice soft. "Are you okay?"
He blinked, as if waking from a dream. His eyes, usually so unfocused and placid, were wide, the pupils unnaturally dilated.
"I... saw something," he muttered, his voice distant. "There was a shadow. Just standing there."
Lisa frowned. "A shadow? What are you talking about?"
Liam shook his head, looking confused. "It was tall. Dark. And it... it looked like it was watching me."
Lisa swallowed, forcing a casual smile. "You're just tired. You've been adjusting to all this new stuff. It's probably your mind playing tricks. Maybe you should take a break."
But the unease settled deeper within her. This wasn't just an ordinary moment of confusion. Liam wasn't the type to make things up, and his expression had shifted from calm to something far more unsettled. For the rest of the day, she kept an eye on him, but he didn't mention the shadow again.
That night, she texted him before bed.
Hey, if you see anything weird again, let me know. Just in case.
She didn't expect a reply. But Liam texted back almost immediately.
It's happening again. In the hallway.
Lisa's heart skipped. She'd barely closed her eyes before she grabbed her jacket and rushed to his house.
When she arrived, Liam was standing at the door, his face pale and drawn. "I didn't know where else to go," he said, his voice hoarse. "It keeps happening. The shadows... they're everywhere."
Lisa could feel her own anxiety growing. The shadows didn't sound like a simple hallucination—they felt real to him. And if they were real to him, she was starting to wonder what kind of danger they posed.
"Come inside," she urged, ushering him into the living room. "We need to figure this out."
Liam sat down on the couch, his eyes darting around the room as if the shadows might emerge from the corners. Lisa sat next to him, her mind racing.
"Liam, I think you might be getting overwhelmed," she said carefully, trying to reassure him. "You've been thrown into a lot lately. High school, new people, and... well, all the weird stuff with you. It's normal to feel a little... off."
He met her gaze, his brow furrowed. "You don't understand. They don't feel like normal shadows. They feel..." He trailed off, as if searching for the right words. "Like they're... waiting. Watching. And I don't know if they're real, but I can't stop seeing them."
Lisa's pulse quickened. She had to do something. She couldn't lose him to whatever this was, even if she didn't know what it was.
"You're just adjusting," she repeated, forcing herself to sound confident. "It's just your mind trying to catch up. You're not used to all the changes. That's all."
But even as she spoke, she felt the uneasy knot in her stomach tighten. What if it wasn't just in his head? What if there really were things—dark, creeping things—following him?
"Are you sure you're not just... imagining it?" she asked, her voice softer now, though the question weighed heavy on her tongue.
Liam shook his head. "I wish I was. But they're real. I can feel them. Watching."
Lisa took a deep breath, her mind spinning. "Okay," she said, standing up. "We need to figure out what's going on. And I need you to tell me everything. Every time you see these shadows, where you are, what you feel, everything."
He nodded, looking more drained than before. "It's been happening more often at night, after I go to sleep. They're in my dreams, too. They whisper my name. And sometimes... sometimes, I wake up and they're standing in the corner of the room, like they're waiting for me to move."
Lisa's skin prickled. This wasn't normal. Whatever these shadows were, they were far from ordinary. She needed to know what they wanted—and how to stop them. But she couldn't let Liam see how scared she was. If he thought she wasn't in control, it would make everything worse.
"We'll figure it out," Lisa promised, though her voice trembled slightly. "I'll help you. We just need to be careful. Keep your distance from them. Don't engage with them. Maybe they're just trying to freak you out."
Liam's eyes darkened. "They won't stop. They're getting closer."
The tension in the room was thick, and Lisa couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed. Whatever was happening to Liam, it wasn't just an accident. The shadows, the whispers—they weren't random. They were connected to him in some way, and she had no idea how to stop them.
Just then, a soft knock echoed from the window.
Lisa froze.
It wasn't a knock from the door. It came from outside, where the moonlight barely touched the earth.
Liam stiffened beside her, his eyes widening as he looked toward the window. "There. It's one of them."
Lisa's breath hitched, and before she could even process what was happening, she was on her feet, pulling Liam toward the door. "We need to go. Now."
But as she glanced back toward the window, the shadow standing in the corner seemed to move—closer. Closer.
And it wasn't alone.
Liam's breathing grew rapid. "They're coming."
The door slammed shut behind them as Lisa pulled him into the hallway, but she couldn't shake the image of the shadows lingering, just beyond the glass. Something dark and terrible was coming, and it seemed to have its sights set on Liam.
And now, on her, too.