(1337 words)

Wednesday, June 25th, 2025

Alicia switched off her phone before reaching the school gates. The screen went black in her hand, and for the first time that morning, the silence felt real. No vibrations. No messages. No reminders of what was waiting for her.

She pushed the phone deep into her bag and took a slow breath. It didn't help.

Just one more day.

That was what she had told herself when she woke up.

Just one more day, and then summer begins.

Just one more day, and then I'll have time to think.

Just one more day, and maybe everything will be fine.

The school building looked exactly as it always did. Grey walls. Tall windows. Children and parents already gathering outside the entrance.

Students ran across the playground laughing and shouting. A young boy tripped, picked himself up, and laughed as if the fall hadn't hurt at all.

Near the entrance, two mothers stood holding takeaway coffees while talking to a teacher. Everything looked normal. Too normal. Alicia forced a smile and walked inside.

The corridor smelled of cleaning products and old books. Lockers slammed shut. Shoes squeaked against the floor. Someone dropped a backpack, sending papers flying everywhere.

A group of girls walked past her whispering and laughing behind their hands.

"Good morning, Mrs Bennett!" a boy shouted.

"Good morning," Alicia replied automatically.

The door to her classroom was already open. The chairs were arranged in small groups for the final lesson of the year.

Someone had drawn a crooked yellow sun on the whiteboard and written:

SUMMER!

Alicia placed her bag on the desk and stood still for a moment. A strange pressure tightened in her chest.

This is the last time, she thought.

The idea appeared suddenly. Cold. Sharp.

The last time I'll be in this room.

The last time I'll hear the lockers outside the door.

The last time I'll smell crayons, dust and dry marker ink.

The last time I'll see these walls, these desks, these noisy children.

She swallowed hard.

Stop it, she told herself.

But the feeling remained. Soon the students began filling the room in noisy groups.

"Are we watching a movie today?" someone asked immediately.

Several students laughed.

"No movies," Alicia said. "We're going to talk."

Someone groaned dramatically from the back of the room.

"That's even worse."

The class burst into laughter. Alicia smiled because that was what teachers were supposed to do.

"Talk about what?" another student asked.

"This year."

A few complaints followed, but some of the children seemed interested. They talked about their favourite lessons. The school trip. The day the class hamster escaped and hid behind a bookshelf. Funny moments Alicia had almost forgotten.

One girl said she was going to Spain with her family. Another planned to spend the entire summer learning how to bake cupcakes. One of the boys proudly announced that his plan was to sleep for two weeks. That made everyone laugh.

Alicia listened more than she spoke. She watched their faces carefully. Almost desperately. As if she were trying to memorise every single one.

Leo will continue attending this school next year. The thought made her stomach twist. Will he still laugh the same way? Will he run through these hallways? Will he be safe here?

"Mrs Bennett?"

Alicia blinked.

"Yes?"

A girl near the front raised her hand.

"You look sad."

The room fell silent. Twenty faces turned towards her. Alicia smiled too quickly.

"I'm not sad. Just a little tired."

The girl nodded, but she still looked uncertain. Children noticed everything. Soon, the bell rang earlier than usual. The final bell of the school year.

The sound seemed louder than usual. Longer. Sharper. Almost endless. The students jumped from their chairs and grabbed their backpacks.

"Happy summer!"

"See you next year!"

"Goodbye, Mrs Bennett!"

"Don't forget us!"

Alicia laughed softly.

"Impossible."

Within seconds, the classroom emptied. Backpacks disappeared through the doorway. Voices faded into the corridor. Then farther away.

Until nothing remained.

Silence.

Alicia was alone. Sunlight streamed through the windows and fell across the empty desks. Dust drifted slowly through the warm air.

She looked around one final time. Then she switched off the classroom lights. The corridor outside was nearly empty. Teachers were saying goodbye near the main entrance.

"See you in August!" someone called.

Alicia raised a hand and waved.

Maybe, she thought.

Outside, the air felt warm and heavy. The smell of freshly cut grass mixed with the scent of hot asphalt. Summer was coming. She started walking home. The streets were quieter now than they had been that morning.

A few children rode bicycles along the pavement. A dog barked behind a fence. Music drifted from an open window. The world felt so ordinary that it made her uneasy.

Her bag seemed heavier than usual. Halfway home, she almost took out her phone.

Almost.

Instead, she kept walking. When she reached her apartment building, she stopped and looked up at the balcony. The curtains moved behind the open window.

Only slightly.

Barely enough to notice. Still, something made her pause. Mark was probably home. Maybe Michael too. As usual. Perhaps they were sleeping. Perhaps the television was on quietly. Perhaps she was imagining things.

Slowly, she climbed the stairs. The hallway outside her apartment was strangely silent. No television from the neighbouring flat. No footsteps. No music.

Only silence.

When she unlocked the door and stepped inside, something felt wrong immediately. Too quiet.

Not the silence of an empty home. A different kind of silence. A waiting silence.

"Hello?" she called.

No answer. Mark's shoes stood beside the door. Michael's backpack lay on the floor near the sofa, one of the zips half open. A plastic dinosaur sat beneath the coffee table.

A glass of water remained on the kitchen counter. They had been here. Recently. Alicia closed the door behind her. The click of the lock sounded far too loud.

"Mark?"

Nothing. Her pulse quickened.

"Michael?"

Still no answer. She placed her bag on the kitchen table, but her fingers slipped from the strap. For a moment, she simply stood there listening. The clock on the wall ticked softly.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Then—A sound.

Very faint. Coming from somewhere deeper inside the apartment. Alicia froze.

The bedroom?

No.

Maybe the hallway. Or the floorboards. Or someone shifting their weight. Her mouth went dry. Slowly, she opened her bag and pulled out her phone. The screen lit up.

Dozens of notifications appeared at once. Messages. All from the same unknown number. Alicia stared at them, barely breathing. Her fingers shook as she opened the most recent one.

Have you told them yet?

Her heart hammered against her ribs. Before she could react, another message appeared.

Time is running out.

Alicia stepped backwards and accidentally dropped into a kitchen chair. Outside, a car drove past the building. Somewhere upstairs, a door slammed.

Her phone vibrated again. Another message.

You can't hide forever.

Then another appeared.

I'm tired of waiting.

Alicia looked towards the dark hallway. The apartment seemed smaller now. Closer. As if the walls were slowly closing around her. Then she saw it.

The bedroom door at the end of the hallway. It was slightly open. She was absolutely certain she had closed it that morning. A wave of cold swept through her body.

"Mark?" she whispered.

Nothing.

Then, from the bedroom—A soft sound.

Not a voice. Not footsteps. Breathing. Alicia stopped breathing. Her sweaty fingers tightened around the phone. The screen glowed brightly in her hand. One final message appeared.

Turn around.

The blood drained from her face. She was already looking towards the hallway.

And behind her—

In the dark reflection of the kitchen window—

Something moved.

Her phone slipped from her hand and crashed onto the floor. The following morning, Alicia's family would find everything exactly where she had left it. Her bag. Her purse. Her phone.

Everything.

Everything except Alicia.