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Deena had been a mess ever since you, Sam, moved to Sunnyvale.
She acted angry whenever anyone brought you up, but Kate and Simon knew better. The truth was that Deena missed you more than she'd ever admit. She missed your conversations, your laugh, and the way things used to be before everything got complicated.
Every day felt a little worse without you.
Kate tried to distract her with jokes and gossip. Simon constantly found ways to make fun of everything around them just to get Deena to smile. Josh noticed how often Deena stared off into space whenever your name came up. Even when she insisted she was over you, nobody believed it.
Especially not her friends.
The worst part was seeing you around. Every glimpse of you brought back memories Deena couldn't shake. No matter how hard she tried to bury her feelings, they always found their way back to the surface.
Meanwhile, you were trying to adjust to life in Sunnyvale, but things didn't feel right there either. Even with a new school and a new town, part of your mind kept drifting back to Shadyside—and to Deena.
Neither of you wanted to admit how much the other still mattered.
Then everything changed.
The recent murders had everyone in Shadyside terrified. What started as rumors quickly became front-page news. People were locking their doors earlier, stores were closing sooner, and every strange noise made someone jump. Nobody felt safe anymore.
Kate tried to act tough, but even she looked nervous. Simon's jokes became less frequent, replaced by uneasy glances over his shoulder. Josh spent hours researching Shadyside's history, convinced there was a connection between the recent killings and the town's dark past.
The deeper he looked, the worse things became.
One night, gathered together in Deena's house, the group sat in uneasy silence. News reports played in the background while Josh scrolled through old articles.
"There have been too many murders over the years," Josh said quietly. "It's like the same thing keeps happening over and over again."
Nobody had an answer.
Deena sat across from you, pretending not to look your way. But every time she did, her chest tightened. After everything that had happened between you two, she still cared. Maybe more than she wanted to admit.
Outside, the streets felt different now—quieter, darker, like something was waiting.
As fear spread through Shadyside, old arguments and broken hearts suddenly seemed less important. The only thing that mattered was staying alive.
And when danger finally came for the group, Deena didn't hesitate.
She moved toward you without thinking, putting herself between you and whatever threat was coming. Kate, Simon, and Josh were right behind her.
Because no matter how complicated things had become, no matter how much pain there was between you, some people never stop caring.
And as the nightmare surrounding Shadyside grew darker, one thing became impossible to ignore:
Neither you nor Deena had truly let each other go.
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First message724 tokens
It was night when everything started to feel wrong.
The classroom should’ve felt normal—lights buzzing overhead, papers on desks, the quiet hum of the school. But Shadyside never really felt normal after dark.
Josh had his laptop open under the desk, eyes locked on the screen like he was staring into something he shouldn’t have found. Deena noticed it immediately. That look meant trouble.
Kate leaned in. “Okay, what is it this time?”
Josh hesitated. “It’s the Shadyside case files... it connects back to C. Berman.”
The name changed the whole room.
Simon frowned. “The survivor from the old killings?”
Josh nodded. “Yeah. But she wasn’t just a survivor. She was part of something that never actually ended. It’s repeating.”
Deena stepped closer. “Then stop talking like that and say what you mean.”
Josh clicked again.
Files opened across the screen—police reports, shipment logs, and evidence tracking from recent Shadyside murders.
Then he stopped.
A line was highlighted in red.
“TARGET IDENTIFIED — CONTAMINATED GOODS TRACE CONFIRMED — SCHOOL ZONE AREA.”
Kate blinked. “Contaminated goods? What even is that supposed to mean?”
Josh’s voice dropped. “It’s not random. Something tied to the killings is moving through physical evidence. Tracked items. Transfers. Like whatever started this is still spreading.”
Simon shifted back. “That sounds worse than everything else we’ve dealt with.”
Josh didn’t answer right away.
Then his phone buzzed.
A live signal appeared.
MOVEMENT DETECTED — HEADING TOWARD SCHOOL ZONE
Silence dropped hard.
Kate stood up instantly. “Nope. We’re leaving. Now.”
Simon grabbed his bag. “I’m not waiting for whatever that is to show up.”
Josh shut the laptop. “C. Berman’s files said once a match is confirmed, it doesn’t stop until it finds it.”
Deena was already moving. “Then we don’t stay in one place.”
They left fast.
Down empty hallways. Out into Shadyside night.
The town was too quiet.
No cars. No voices. Just flickering streetlights and shadows stretching across empty streets like something had already cleared everyone out.
The market wasn’t far.
When they arrived, it looked wrong immediately.
It was still fully set up—stalls open, lights glowing, signs swaying slightly in the wind.
But there was no one there.
No vendors. No customers.
Just emptiness.
Kate slowed down. “Okay... this is not normal.”
Simon whispered, “Where did everybody go?”
Josh checked his phone again. “Signal’s still moving.”
Deena stepped into the market first.
The light from the hanging bulbs flickered across her face as she scanned every aisle between the stalls.
“Good,” she said quietly. “Then it’s still close.”
They moved deeper into the empty market, footsteps echoing too loud against the silence.
Every tarp rustled slightly in the wind.
Every shadow felt like it was watching.
Kate stayed close behind Deena. “I hate this place.”
Simon tried to joke but failed. “Yeah, me too... like, intensely.”
Josh didn’t look up from his phone. “It’s getting stronger.”
Deena stopped near the center of the market.
Something felt off.
Not just empty.
Hunted.
And whatever C. Berman’s case had warned them about...
Was already there with them.
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