جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 60

CAMERON’S POVFor a full second, neither of us breathed.The red glow pulsed across the room like a warning heartbeat, flashing against Brandon’s face in sharp bursts. He looked like a character in a horror movie—except this wasn’t a movie, and I couldn’t just hit pause or throw popcorn at the screen and pretend everything was fine.That message on the newly lit monitor burned itself into my skull.YOU WEREN’T SUPPOSED TO MAKE IT THIS FAR.My voice came out thin. “So… is this like… a threat-threat? Or a creepy ‘turn back now’ threat? Because those are very different threat categories.”Brandon didn’t answer. His jaw was clenched hard, eyes flicking across the room like he was calculating escape routes… traps… possibilities I didn’t even want to imagine.He squeezed my hand and murmured, “Stay behind me.”I didn’t argue. Not this time.We backed slowly from the table, like the metal case might grow teeth and lunge at us. The red light flickered again, brighter this time, and the hum un

CAMERON’S POVThe timer didn’t care that my heart was trying to escape my chest.00:2400:2300:22Each second blinked down like it was daring me to blink first.“Okay,” I said, my voice way too high to sound calm. “Okay. Phase Two. Cool. Love that. What was Phase One? Psychological torture? Because that really hit.”Brandon didn’t laugh.He was on his feet already, scanning the control room like it might suddenly sprout teeth. His jaw was tight, shoulders tense, the way they get when he’s trying not to panic and failing quietly.“Cam,” he said softly, “I think Phase One was watching us.”That made my stomach flip.“What do you mean?”He pointed at the wall of monitors. Every angle of the frat house. The hallway we’d just escaped. The dark corridor with the silhouette—frozen now, empty, like nothing had ever been there.“They were tracking behavior,” he continued. “How we react under pressure. How far we’d go. How we move together.”I stared at the screens. “You’re saying this is some

CAMERON’S POVThe door slammed behind me so hard the sound echoed in my chest.For a second, I just stood there, staring at the solid metal wall like it might magically reopen if I stared long enough. My palms were pressed flat against it, breath coming out shallow and uneven.“Brandon,” I whispered.Nothing.The silence that followed was worse than the alarms, worse than the countdowns. It felt intentional—like whoever designed this wanted me to sit in it and let it crawl under my skin.I forced myself to breathe.In. Out.Don’t panic.The room I was in wasn’t dark, but it wasn’t comforting either. White walls. Bright overhead lights that hummed softly. No windows. No visible doors except the one that had just swallowed Brandon whole.At the center of the room was a single chair.And a screen.Of course there was a screen.I laughed weakly. “Original,” I muttered. “Really pushing the boundaries of psychological torture here.”The screen flickered to life.At first, it was just static

CAMERON’S POVThe alarms stopped as suddenly as they’d started.The silence afterward felt louder than everything that came before it.Brandon’s hand was still wrapped around mine, but it felt different now—tighter, like he was afraid if he loosened his grip even a little, I’d disappear. Or maybe he would.We didn’t move right away.The control room doors stood open, lights back to normal, like the place hadn’t just tried to rip us apart psychologically. Like we weren’t standing in the wreckage of something buried for two years.Finally, I pulled my hand free.Not harshly. Not angrily.Just… carefully.Brandon noticed immediately.“Cam,” he said quietly.“I need a second,” I replied, my voice steadier than I felt. “Please.”He nodded, stepping back without argument. That somehow hurt more than if he’d protested.I walked toward one of the dark screens, staring at my own reflection. I barely recognized the guy looking back—eyes too sharp, shoulders tense, jaw locked like it was holding

CAMERON’S POVI didn’t sleep.Like, at all.I lay on my bed staring at the ceiling while the house creaked and settled around me, every tiny sound making my heart jump. The blankets felt too heavy, my phone felt too light, and my brain would not shut up.Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that video again.The stairs.The fall.Brandon stepping forward.I rolled onto my side and checked the time.4:12 a.m.Great.My phone buzzed softly in my hand, like it knew I was already awake.Brandon: you aliveI exhaled a shaky laugh and typed back.Me: unfortunately yesMe: you?Three dots appeared almost instantly.Brandon: sameBrandon: wanna not be alone togetherI didn’t even hesitate.Me: yeahMe: pleaseI grabbed my hoodie and slipped into the hallway, moving quietly so I wouldn’t wake anyone. The frat house felt different now—less like home, more like a place that had betrayed us. Like it had been watching, listening, waiting.Brandon’s door was cracked open.I knocked lightly anyway.“C