Chapter 5: Warm and warmer

"You're getting warmer."

The words stared back at me from the crumpled slip of paper, the ink smudged at the edges as if someone had gripped it too tightly while writing.

A taunt. A warning. Or both.

Renji leaned over my shoulder, frowning. "You've gotta be kidding me."

Yuna's voice was tight. "This means someone knew we'd come here."

Haruto's eyes darkened. "Not just that. They want us to keep playing."

The uneasy feeling in my stomach worsened.

I turned back to the locker, pressing my ear against the cold metal. No sound. No movement.

"Hina?" I whispered.

Nothing.

For a split second, dread clawed at my throat. Had we been too late?

Then—

thump.

A weak, barely-there movement.

She was still alive.

Yuna let out a shaky breath. "We need to get this open. Now."

Renji immediately grabbed the locker handle and yanked. "Locked." He shook it harder, frustration growing. "Damn it."

Haruto inspected the small metal lock keeping it shut. "It's not a school lock. Someone brought their own."

I clenched my fists. "Can we break it?"

Renji grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Oh, hell yeah. Step back."

He lifted his foot and slammed it against the locker. The metal rattled violently, but the lock held.

"Again," Yuna urged.

Renji kicked it a second time, then a third. Still nothing.

Yuna bit her lip. "We need something stronger."

I scanned the gym. There had to be something we could use. Then my eyes landed on the equipment racks.

Metal baseball bats.

Without hesitation, I ran over and grabbed one. The weight felt solid in my hands.

"This should do it." I tossed it to Renji, who caught it easily. His eyes lit up. "Oh, I like this."

Haruto stepped beside him. "Be careful. You don't want to hurt her inside."

Renji nodded, gripping the bat tightly. "Alright, Hina. If you can hear me, move as far back as you can. We're getting you out."

Silence.

Then—thump.

A faint, desperate response.

Renji lifted the bat, took a deep breath, and swung.

BANG!

The sound echoed through the gym.

The lock dented but didn't break.

Renji cursed under his breath. "Again."

BANG!

A second hit.

A crack formed near the lock.

One more.

Renji tightened his grip, swinging harder—

BANG!

The lock snapped, falling to the ground with a sharp clink.

The locker door creaked open slightly.

And then—

A hand shot out.

Pale. Shaking. Clawing at the air.

Yuna gasped. "Hina!"

I rushed forward, grabbing her hand. It was ice cold.

Then the door swung open fully—

And Hina collapsed into my arms.

Memories in the Dark

She was shaking violently, her breaths ragged. Her uniform was wrinkled, her sleeves covered in dust. Strands of her dark hair stuck to her forehead, damp with sweat.

She looked up at me, her wide eyes filled with pure terror.

"They—" Her voice cracked, barely above a whisper. "They're still here."

A chill ran through me.

I tightened my grip on her shoulders. "Who?"

Her lips trembled. "T-they were watching me." Her fingers curled weakly into my sleeve. "They said… they said if you found me too soon, they'd make sure someone else—"

She broke off, gasping for breath.

Yuna knelt beside us, rubbing Hina's back. "You're safe now. It's okay."

But it wasn't okay.

Because someone had done this on purpose.

Someone had trapped her in that locker.

Someone had left that note.

And someone had been watching us the entire time.

---

A Warning Left Behind

Haruto crouched near the locker, his expression unreadable. "We need to get her to the nurse's office."

Renji nodded. "I'll carry her—"

"Wait." Haruto's voice was sharp.

We all froze.

He reached into the now-empty locker and pulled something out.

Another piece of paper.

Yuna inhaled sharply. "Don't tell me—"

Haruto slowly unfolded it. His eyes flickered with something unreadable as he read the words aloud.

"You found her too fast."

A tense silence settled over us.

Then Renji swore. "What the hell does that mean?"

Yuna swallowed hard. "It means… they're not done playing."

A cold realization washed over me.

This wasn't over.

We had won this round.

But the game was still going.

And we had no idea what the next move would be..

The Aftermath

The ambulance arrived faster than expected. Someone—probably one of the teachers—had called emergency services the moment the rumors of Hina's disappearance had spread.

When they placed her on the stretcher, she wasn't responding.

She wasn't unconscious, not fully—but she wasn't there either. Her eyes were open, staring blankly at nothing. She flinched when anyone touched her, her whole body tensing as if expecting another attack.

The paramedics checked her vitals, speaking to each other in hushed tones.

Then one of them turned to us.

"She's in shock," he said. "She needs immediate care."

That was the last thing we heard before the ambulance doors shut, taking Hina away.

And just like that, the weight of what had happened hit us.

She had almost died.

If we hadn't found her…

If we had been even a little slower…

I didn't realize I was shaking until Yuna grabbed my hand.

"Come on," she murmured. "We need to go back."

I wanted to protest—to follow the ambulance, to do something—but she was right.

We had no choice but to return to class, pretending that everything was normal.

Even though nothing would ever be normal again.

---

The School on Edge

Hina didn't wake up that day.

Or the day after.

By the time a full forty-eight hours had passed, the school was in chaos.

Rumors spread like wildfire.

Some students claimed Hina had been found dead. Others whispered that the person who took her had left another message, hinting at their next target.

The teachers tried to control the panic, but even they were shaken.

The principal finally made an announcement over the intercom, his voice tight.

"Due to recent events, all after-school activities are suspended. Students will be escorted out of the building in groups, and additional security measures will be put in place. Please do not spread unverified information."

But it was too late for that.

And then, the real bombshell came.

By the third day, the police got involved—not just a few officers, but a full investigative team.

They questioned students one by one, trying to piece together what had happened.

But the biggest problem?

Hina still hadn't woken up.

Without her, there were no real leads.

No clues.

Just a school full of terrified students and a lurking threat that refused to show itself.

---

The Breaking Point

On the fourth day, everything fell apart.

It started when another note appeared.

This time, it wasn't in a classroom.

It was taped to the front gates of the school, written in the same unstable, slanted handwriting.

"She stayed quiet. Will the next one?"

The teachers called the police immediately.

Students weren't even allowed inside.

And that's when the decision was made.

The school was shutting down.

Temporarily, they said.

"Just until the investigation is complete," the principal had announced over the phone to worried parents.

But everyone knew the truth.

No one wanted to step foot in that building again.

Not until they knew who was behind this.

Not until they knew if they were safe.

---

Hina Wakes Up

It wasn't until after the school closed that Hina finally woke up.

Yuna, Haruto, Renji, and I visited the hospital as soon as we heard.

When we stepped into the room, she looked… small.

Fragile.

Her skin was paler than usual, and her eyes—eyes that had once been quiet but steady—were empty.

She barely reacted when she saw us.

Not relief. Not gratitude.

Just… nothing.

Yuna sat beside her, hesitating before speaking. "Hina… do you remember what happened?"

No response.

Renji cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably. "You're safe now, you know? We found you."

Still, nothing.

I swallowed hard. "Hina… who did this to you?"

Her fingers twitched against the blanket.

Then, finally, she spoke.

A single, broken whisper.

"…I don't know."

A lie.

We all knew it.

She did know.

She was just too afraid to say.

---

The Unspoken Truth

The police arrived shortly after, eager to question her.

But she gave them the same answer.

She didn't remember.

She didn't know.

They tried to push her. They asked if she saw anyone. If she heard anything.

But she just stared at them, her lips slightly parted, as if struggling to breathe.

In the end, they had no choice but to stop.

"She's traumatized," one of the officers muttered. "She's not going to talk."

And just like that, the case hit a dead end.

Hina was safe.

But the person who did this?

They were still out there.

Watching.

Waiting.

And if we didn't figure it out soon…

Someone else might be next.