Dracula_X

Maya’s senior year feels like one long blur, a cycle of classes, routines, and endless motivational posters that do nothing to change the fact that everything feels… off. But there’s one thing that matters—the "Last Day Club." What started as a joke between Maya and her best friend, Elena, has turned into an after-school ritual. The club is the one place where they can talk about what they'd do if tomorrow was really their last day. It’s their escape, a safe spot where nothing is too serious, and the world outside doesn’t matter.

When the group meets one night at Riley’s house, Elena is mysteriously absent. At first, it’s brushed off—Elena’s always busy or late. But as the hours pass and there’s still no sign of her, Maya starts to feel something isn’t right. She can’t shake the feeling that Elena’s disappearance isn’t just some random thing. And when things take a darker turn, Maya and the rest of the group are forced to confront secrets they’ve been avoiding, realizing that the Last Day Club might not be just a game after all.

What started as a way to kill time and dream up outrageous “last-day” scenarios is about to become something much more dangerous—and much more real. Because when the truth finally comes out, none of them will be ready for what happens next.

The Last Day Club

The search for Elena had begun. Hours passed since their last meeting at Riley's house, and still, there was no word from her. Maya's phone buzzed a few times—just Leo sending dumb memes, spam messages, the usual. But nothing from Elena.

They'd already checked all the usual places: the library, the park, even the diner where she worked. Every stop felt more like a checklist than a real search. It was as if they were all pretending there was a chance, hoping for a miracle, that maybe Elena had just needed some time away.

But deep down, Maya knew. She could feel it, in the pit of her stomach. Elena's absence wasn't just random. It wasn't something they could explain away.

They had missed it—the signs, the quiet moments when Elena's usual laughter didn't quite reach her eyes, when she became too still, too distant. She was always the one who made them laugh, the one who kept things light. But lately, her jokes had felt empty, hollow.

Maya sat in her car, staring at Elena's social media page. The posts were full of the same stuff—pictures of them, pictures of Elena smiling with that perfect, too-perfect grin. But now, scrolling through it all, it was hard to see the girl she once knew. It felt fake. Like a mask she'd worn, hiding the parts of herself she was too scared to show.

She slammed her hand on the steering wheel, frustration bubbling up. She should have noticed. They all should have.

Riley had suggested they split up and search different areas, but Maya didn't think that was going to help. It just felt like a distraction. They were just going through the motions, buying time, pretending they were doing something.

The next day, when Maya walked into school, everything felt wrong. The halls were just as crowded, as loud as they always were, but for her, it all felt like static. She passed by people, nodded at a few classmates, but none of them noticed the weight in the air. The way everything around her had lost its color, like someone had turned down the volume.

She saw Leo leaning against a locker, looking tired, worn down. His eyes flicked up when he saw her.

"Any news?" Maya asked, already knowing the answer.

"No," Leo muttered, his voice flat.

For a long moment, they just stood there, staring at each other. Neither of them knew what to say.

Finally, Leo broke the silence. "Maybe we should've been more honest with her," he said quietly. "You know, about everything."

Maya's chest tightened at his words. It was like he had spoken the truth out loud—something they had all been too afraid to admit.

They should have been honest. With Elena. With each other. But instead, they'd played it safe, joked around in the Last Day Club, pretending things were okay when they weren't. They'd all been too busy hiding behind their masks, thinking it was easier to ignore the things that hurt.

"What are we supposed to say to her when we find her?" Maya asked, almost whispering. "How do we fix this?"

Leo didn't answer right away. He stared off into space for a moment, like he was trying to find the right words, but nothing came. Finally, he shook his head. "I don't know. I don't think there's anything we can say."

The Silent Echo