The question lingered in the back of Lisa's mind, twisting into a growing sense of dread. Something was closing in—she could feel it. And now that she'd opened up to Emily, that feeling was sharper, like an itch at the base of her skull that she couldn't shake. Whatever shadow had come with Liam had tangled itself around her life, and it wasn't just haunting her—it was digging.
It started with small things. A stranger's name lingering too long in her text notifications, odd clicks on her social media profiles, old photos she'd long deleted showing up in her email drafts. It was subtle, but each detail gnawed at her, sending a chill through her whenever she noticed something out of place. Lisa tried to brush it off as paranoia, but a voice in her mind whispered that someone was prying, that someone was looking for answers they had no right to find.
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became. If anyone discovered the truth about Liam—what he was, how she'd brought him back, and what that might mean—her life, and his, would unravel. And Liam had become more than her strange, otherworldly mistake; he'd become someone she cared about deeply. Maybe even loved, in a way only someone with her bizarre attachment to the supernatural could.
Unable to ignore the creeping dread, Lisa began scouring her social media and emails. She opened her laptop late one night, scanning every corner of her digital life, her pulse quickening with each minute. And then she saw it: a profile she didn't recognize had been viewing her posts obsessively, liking the strangest things. The username was just initials—"M.T."—but there was something about it that felt… intentional, as though it were a warning aimed at her.
"Emily, you there?" Lisa typed frantically into her phone, needing to talk to someone before her panic could spiral out of control. Within seconds, Emily's response lit up her screen.
"Yeah, what's up?"
"I think someone's digging into my life. Or, maybe ours," Lisa texted back. She quickly told Emily about the strange account, the emails, the old photos reappearing. It was a flood of words, anxious and disjointed, but she needed to get it all out.
After a moment, Emily replied, "That's… honestly creepy, Lisa. Do you think it's connected to… well, you know?"
Lisa swallowed hard. She hadn't even wanted to voice it, but she typed the words anyway: "I think someone might know about Liam."
There was a long pause before Emily replied again. "You have to figure out who it is. If they're trying to expose this… or you… we need to be ready."
Lisa knew she was right. Whoever was lurking in her life had to be found. The stakes were too high to ignore it now. She had to find them before they found Liam.
The next day, she set out on her mission. Every spare moment between classes and her part-time job was spent scouring the internet, following every trace of that profile, every link, every digital breadcrumb. She tried everything: tracking IP addresses, cross-referencing mutual followers, even digging into the accounts that "M.T." seemed to like or interact with.
But just when she thought she was getting close, the profile vanished. No posts, no likes, no comments—it was as though "M.T." had never existed.
Frustrated and more anxious than ever, Lisa spent a sleepless night pouring over her notes, wondering if she'd hit a dead end. The face staring back at her from her bathroom mirror the next morning was pale, shadowed with exhaustion. Even Liam noticed, and he rarely mentioned her appearance.
"You look like you've been hit by a truck," he said, his voice laced with a mix of concern and the usual dry humor.
She gave a half-hearted smile. "Feels like it, honestly."
"Are you going to tell me what's going on, or do I have to pry it out of you?"
Lisa hesitated. She hadn't told him anything about "M.T." or the investigation she'd launched on her own. But maybe it was time. If anyone else knew the real dangers that were closing in, it was Liam.
"There's someone digging around in my life," she admitted, her voice quiet. "Someone who could… who could know about you."
The humor in Liam's expression disappeared, replaced by something dark and wary. "Who?"
"I don't know. I've tried tracking them, finding anything I can. But they keep slipping away." She glanced up at him, feeling the weight of her own helplessness. "Liam… if they find out what you are, if they go to the police or the media…"
Liam looked away, his jaw tight. For a long moment, he said nothing, and the tension in the air thickened until she could barely breathe. Finally, he muttered, "Then we'll just have to make sure they don't."
Lisa knew that look—the resolve, the edge to his voice. Whatever hesitation she'd had melted as he met her gaze again, his eyes filled with a steely determination.
"Let's find them," he said simply. And in that moment, they became more than just partners in this bizarre, twisted experiment. They were allies, two people with everything to lose and a silent promise to protect one another.
---
Days passed, filled with a mix of frustration, fleeting leads, and the ever-present fear that their secrets would unravel at any moment. But then, a breakthrough.
Late one night, while combing through yet another anonymous message that seemed too familiar, Lisa noticed a pattern—a series of locations connected to the messages. All were local hangouts she'd frequented in the past month: the park, the bookstore, even the coffee shop where she'd first told Emily the truth. A chill crept up her spine as the realization hit: someone had been following her, watching her in person.
"Liam," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I think they've been tracking me. Physically."
He didn't respond right away, his expression darkening as he took in her words. "They know your routine?"
Lisa nodded, dread settling like a stone in her stomach. "Whoever it is, they're watching us more closely than I thought."
A flicker of anger sparked in his eyes, and for a moment, Lisa saw the fierceness that had drawn her to him in the first place—the raw determination to protect what he loved, even if it was his own afterlife.
"Then let's give them something to see," he said, his voice low. "If they want to watch, we'll lead them right to where we want them."
She looked up, understanding flashing between them. They would set a trap, turn the tables on this faceless threat. Lisa could feel her heart pounding, equal parts terror and adrenaline as they planned their next move.
And just like that, the hunter became the hunted.