A deep tiredness was settling over her. Maybe she should have just stayed in her room. It might have been easier. No need to talk. No need to pretend.
She checked the phone screen again:11:59 p.m.
It wasn’t like anything would change just because it had been a year, she told herself. This was her life now and nothing was ever going to fix that. Nothing was going to turn back time or bring Danny back. There were no second chances. She watched dispassionately as the last seconds counted down, ticking away the worst year of her life.
It doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a date—just a jumble of stupid numbers. Nothing more.
12:00 a.m.
And there it was. Finally.
The anniversary. She was still breathing, wasn’t she?Life goes on.
Ping.
The alert made her jump. A message? How was that even possible? They didn’t have any phone reception.
On cue, there was a roar from the deep end.
“Oh my god, we have cell!”
“I got a message!”
“Me too.”
“Yaaaaasss!”
The elation was short-lived, the voices dropping off one by one as they studied their phone screens.
“Wait, I don’t have any bars.”
“This doesn’t make any sense…”
“What the hell?”
Ana clicked on the notification and opened the message. The formatting was off. It wasn’t a text or snap. The font was different, the background was black and the letters green and oversized. What was clear was the message:
Karl Hunt lit the match, but you are all guilty.
“Did you get the same thing?” she asked. Raya nodded. Ana glanced around to see if someone was secretly texting, but no one was.
“I don’t understand… I’m not getting any reception. How did we even get a message?” Raya’s voice had an edge to it.
“Maybe it’s a mistake?” Ana asked, though she already knew it wasn’t. “Or perhaps it’s an old message that just came through.” She was reaching, they both knew it.
There was anotherping. Another message. They looked at each other briefly before turning to their screens.
I know what you did a year ago. Now it is time to pay the price.
“What…I mean…why?” Ana was lost for words. Who would do something like this? Who would send creepy messages today, on the anniversary? She felt a rising wave of panic.
I know what you did…
It had to be a prank, or a sick joke. Didn’t it?
She turned to Raya, but before they could speak, there was anotherping. Ana jumped, almost dropping her phone. The new message was longer—much longer and much worse. She read it slowly, carefully, rereading parts as she took time to process.
When she was finally done, she put the phone down on the pool edge, pulled her hood up and wrapped her arms around herself, a feeling of cold, blind fear stealing through her.
