12. The Vanishing Items

The air in Blackwood Academy felt different

Something unseen moved in the shadows. It walked between the dorm halls. It pressed against the backs of the guilty. It was not loud or angry. Not yet

It was quiet. Slow

A whisper of fear wrapping around their minds

And it started with something small

Damian woke up feeling heavier than usual. It was like something was sitting on his chest. He had not slept much. The whispers. The writing on the walls. They stayed in his head

Still he pushed those thoughts away and started his morning like normal

He reached for his watch on the table beside his bed—

It was not there

His fingers touched only the empty wooden top

Damian frowned. He always kept it there

His heart began to beat faster

His brain tried to explain. Maybe it fell. Maybe I put it somewhere else

But deep inside him something cold started to grow

That watch was not just a watch

It was the same one he had used to time Ethan's beating

A prize. A sign of control. A quiet joke at the weak

And now it was missing

He pulled open drawers. He threw clothes. His anger started to rise

"Mason! Ryan!" Damian shouted. "Did one of you take my damn watch"

Ryan did not look up. His eyes looked tired. He had not been sleeping either

Mason rolled his eyes. "Why would I take your stupid watch"

But then—

Mason stopped

His hand reached for his pockets then his desk then under the bed

"What the—"

He stood up so fast his chair hit the floor

"My phone" he said. "Where is my phone"

For the first time in a long time—Damian felt something heavy in his chest

Because things were missing

One by one

And they had no idea how

That night the room felt tight. The missing stuff had made everyone nervous

Mason kept going through his bags. He cursed softly "Someone took it. Someone is playing games with me"

Damian did not talk. He still thought about his watch

But it was not just their stuff

Shoes moved

Books fell when no one touched them

Little things. Small details. But they started to grow

Something was wrong

Then—

That night they heard sounds

Damian sat up. His body was stiff. He had not been sleeping well. The red words on the wall stayed in his mind

But this time—he heard it

Footsteps

Outside the dorm

Soft. Slow

Step

Step

Step

Damian held his breath

Mason turned in his bed "Do you hear that"

Ryan said nothing. He was hiding under his blanket

Step

Step

Step

It stopped outside their door

Damian felt his throat tighten

The doorknob moved

Ryan gasped

Then—

Nothing

Long. Heavy. Still

They waited

One second

Two

Five

Nothing

Damian let out a breath. His shoulders stiff. He tried to laugh. It sounded fake

"See Probably just—"

Then

BANG

A loud knock hit the door

The boys jumped

Damian's blood felt cold

Mason held his blanket "No way. No way. No way"

Damian felt his mouth dry up. This was not in their heads

Another knock

Then one more

Then silence

Damian made his hands into fists. He was not weak. He would not hide

With shaking fingers he grabbed the knob—

And pulled the door open

Nothing

The hallway was empty

But something had been there

Because on the floor right by his feet—

Was his missing watch

A cold chill ran up his arms

His hands shook as he picked it up

Then he saw—

The watch still worked

But now—

The time showed the exact minute Ethan had taken his last breath

Damian felt his heart pounding. He still remembered Ethan's screams from that night. The pain. The sound

His fingers held the watch tight

It did not make sense

It could not be real

Could it

The next morning Mason looked pale

His hands shook as he walked in. He held his phone so tight his skin turned white

Ryan was still in bed. He said nothing. His eyes looked empty

Damian sat up "What is wrong with you"

Mason did not answer

He held out the phone

Damian frowned and took it

The screen had a crack. But that was not the worst part

The worst part—

Was the video playing over and over

It was the night they had beaten Ethan

Damian's stomach turned

The old video showed them laughing. Kicking. Hitting. Ethan's cries—soft and broken

Then—the last hit

Ethan falling

Silence

Damian felt sick

Mason's voice shook "I did not record this. I swear I did not"

His lips moved slow "But someone did"

Damian clenched his teeth

His hand held the phone harder

Then—

The screen flashed

The video glitched

And the last picture changed

It was no longer Ethan on the ground

Now it showed something else

A message

Written in red letters

Just like the walls

"YOU THINK THIS IS OVER"

Mason dropped the phone. Like it was hot

Damian's breath stopped

Ryan began to cry softly into his pillow

The air in the room grew heavy

Because now they knew

Something was coming

And it would not stop

Ethan stood outside their window. He watched

He did not need to go inside to feel their fear

He could taste it

Damian's fingers shaking on the phone

Mason's body tense as he tried to understand

Ryan—so weak so broken—already falling apart

Good

Ethan's lips moved into a slow dark smile

They thought they were safe

They thought they could walk free

But now—

They would lose everything

And this—

Was only the beginning