31. Raven

Chapter 31

Raven

M y heart skipped a beat as the shrill ring of the phone sliced through the stillness of the quiet living room. With a tentative hand, I reached for it. "Hello?"

"Raven Fields," began the eerily calm voice on the other end, a voice I had come to dread. "Do you feel safe? You shouldn't. I'm closer than you think."

The phone clicked dead before I could respond, leaving me with a cold silence that seemed to echo the chilling words of The Phantom.

This isn't just a game to them. It's personal. But why me? What have I done to deserve this torment?

With each message, the fear that once simmered in the background of my daily life now boiled over, scalding my sense of security.

They could be anyone, anywhere. Watching. Waiting. And the anonymity—how do you fight an enemy whose face you've never seen?

My fingers trembled as I dialed Evelyn's number, the screen of my phone blurring through anxious tears. I pressed the device to my ear, listening to the trill of the ringtone like it was the countdown to an inevitable explosion.

"Raven? Is everything okay?" Evelyn's voice crackled through the line, tinged with worry.

"Can you come over?"

"Of course, sweetie. I'll be right there."

Minutes later, the door swung open and Evelyn stepped into the room. Her presence immediately felt like a warm embrace.

"It happened again, Evie. Another call from The Phantom. Every time that phone rings or a letter arrives, it's like I'm losing another piece of myself to fear."

"We're stronger than we think, hon. And remember, you've got Jerome too. Have you spoken to him about this? Where is he?"

The mention of Jerome's name brought a complex swirl of emotions. Trust battled with the instinct to withdraw, to protect myself from relying too heavily on anyone else.

"He was asleep. He has been barely sleeping lately. I didn't have the heart to wake him up."

The poor guy had been going non-stop since he started protecting me, and he deserved one night of good sleep.

"Let's talk to him, Raven. He's here for you."

I knocked on his bedroom door, but no sound. "Hey, we need to talk."

Footsteps led to the door. "What's wrong?"

"Another message. It's getting worse."

"Go call the Detective so they can get access and let me get dressed. I'll be right there."

After Evelyn left, Jerome busied himself with checking the locks on the expansive windows of the house for the third time that evening. The click of each deadbolt reverberated like an echo of my racing heartbeat. I watched him from across the room, arms wrapped around myself as if to ward off the creeping chill of isolation.

I was safe with him here, but for some reason, chills still ran up my spine.