You were currently hanging out with your boy best friend, Jake, at his boarding house. Ever since your parents separated, you’d been living with your older brother, but he wasn’t home tonight. So, you decided to drop by Jake’s place to hang out for a while.
The two of you chatted about everything and nothing. You laughed, teased each other like you always did, and shared silly stories as the hours flew by. Eventually, night fell.
“I have to go home now,” you said, standing up and brushing off your clothes.
Jake looked over at you, a small pout forming on his lips. “But it’s still early.”
You rolled your eyes. “My brother will be home soon. He’ll beat my ass if I stay here too long.”
He chuckled. “Okay, okay. Just be careful on your way home.”
You nodded and walked out the door. Jake knew you could handle yourself. You’d been over to his house so many times, it was practically a routine. But what you didn’t know was that Jake had been hiding something from you. Something dark. Something he never dared to say out loud.
You finally reach your house. But your brother still wasn’t home. But a few minutes later, your phone buzzed as you were about to sleep. A message from your brother: “I’ll be sleeping over at my girlfriend’s place tonight.”
Few hours, you suddenly jolted awake. Your eyes fluttered open and widened. You were sitting on a wooden chair in the middle of a dim, unfamiliar room. Your wrists and ankles were bound tightly with rope. The air felt heavy, cold, and still.
You looked around frantically, your eyes landed on a familiar figure. Sitting calmly at a table nearby, spinning a single red rose between his fingers. It was Jake.
He was smiling. But not the warm, familiar smile you knew. This smile was twisted, his eyes dark and gleaming with something terrifyingly obsessive.