11. The Writing on the Walls

The school still looked the same. The same long dull hallways. The same lifeless walls with old posters. The same air of money and pride that stayed on every student like an invisible coat

But something had changed

Something small

Hard to notice at first

But as the day moved it spread like a sickness

A whisper

A soft voice moving from one student to the next

"Did you see it"

"Who wrote it"

"Is this some kind of sick joke"

The rumors moved fast. They twisted. They grew. They changed. But Damian and his group were the last to know

Until it was too late

Damian walked into his dorm room that night. He was laughing while looking at his phone. His group had just finished another secret night of drinking. They showed off their shiny watches. They bragged about things they did not earn

He threw his bag on the bed. He dropped onto the mattress

But then—

He saw it

And his laughter stopped

His body froze as his eyes looked at the wall

There—painted in deep dark red—were three words

"I SEE YOU"

The letters looked thick and wet

Like real blood

Damian's breath stopped

His head turned fast to the door. His voice cut through the air

"Which one of you did this"

His friends Mason and Ryan looked up from their beds

Mason frowned "What the hell are you talking about"

Damian's hands became fists "This" He pointed to the wall. His voice was sharp "Very funny guys"

Mason and Ryan stood up. They looked at where he pointed—

And when they saw it—their faces turned white

"What the hell…" Mason said

Ryan shifted where he stood "That—wasn't there before"

Damian rolled his eyes but his chest felt tight

He walked to the wall. He touched the letters

The red moved under his fingers

Still wet

A cold wave ran down his spine

His face turned angry as he turned around "Alright which one of you came in here and—"

Then—

A loud knock hit the door

The three boys jumped

No one moved

Then Damian let out a breath and walked fast to the door. He was angry now

He pulled it open—

No one was there

The hallway was empty

Only the blinking hallway lights were there. They made a soft buzzing sound

A cold wind touched his skin

Damian swallowed. His throat felt dry

Mason and Ryan stood behind him. They looked stiff

"This is stupid" Mason said. He tried to laugh "Someone's playing games"

Damian closed his jaw tight

Yes

That had to be it

Some loser was trying to be funny

And yet—

When he shut the door and turned around—

There was another message

It was just below the first one

"YOU WILL PAY"

His stomach felt heavy

"That—" Ryan said "That wasn't there before"

A chill ran up Damian's back

He knew that too

Because his back had been right there just a few seconds ago

And no one had moved

The next morning the whispers were louder

Because it was not only their room

More messages showed up around the school

On the walls of the locker room. On the bathroom mirrors. Even inside the library

Each one worse than the last

"I SEE YOU"

"YOU WILL PAY"

And the worst one—

It was written on the door of the old dorm where Ethan had almost died

"DID YOU HEAR HIM SCREAM"

Students spoke in quiet voices

The teachers said it was just "vandalism" but the feeling was already there

The air felt thick

Something was wrong

And the people who felt it the most—

Were the boys who once laughed

That night Damian could not sleep

The words stayed in his head

Every time he closed his eyes he saw red

He could still feel the wet paint on his fingers

It had to be a joke

It had to be

Still—when he lay in bed and stared at the ceiling the feeling got worse

The room was too quiet

The air was too still

Then—

He heard it

A soft sound

Then one more

His heart jumped

He slowly turned his head—

His eyes looked at the window

His breath stopped

Because someone was standing outside

Just past the glass

A dark shape

Still

Silent

Watching

Damian did not move

His heart hit his ribs hard

But when he blinked—

The shape was gone

His breath came in short fast gasps

He rubbed his eyes. His fingers pushed against his head

He was just imagining things

It was all in his head

Right

But then—

Something moved at the side of his vision

He turned fast to the wall

And there—

The words had changed

One last message

"DO YOU REMEMBER HOW HE BEGGED"

A hard shiver shook his body

The air turned cold

And for the first time in his life—

Damian felt fear

Because deep down—

A voice inside him whispered a terrible thought

"Ethan should be dead"

"But what if he's not"

Outside the dorm room hidden by the thick black night Ethan smiled

His glowing red eyes burned

He could taste it

The first bite of fear

And this—

Was only the beginning