Chapter 3 — The Shape That Stared Back

The air suddenly turned colder.Not the usual evening breeze—but that kind of cold that feels like it’s coming from inside,like your body’s making it all on its own.The crying came again.This time clearer, more human… and closer.“Please tell me that was a cat,” Riko whispered, her voice trembling.“Yeah… a cat with severe maternal trauma,” Kenji muttered, lowering his voice without realizing it.Sam took a step forward.He didn’t know why—he just did.Each time that sound repeated, he felt his mind tuning into a different frequency,one the others couldn’t hear.The bridge, once normal, now seemed longer.The river shimmered—not from sunlight,but from something softer, stranger…a white glow moving beneath the water.“This can’t be real,” Sam thought.“Then again… how do you know it’s not?”Just as he leaned closer, Kenji grabbed his arm.“Bro, don’t you dare look over.”“I just wanna see—”“No, you don’t wanna see! That’s how every movie starts where the main guy ends up possessed!”Riko stood a few steps behind, pulling out her phone to record—though her hands were shaking so much she could barely focus.Then the sound stopped.Total silence.Even the river seemed to hold its breath.Click.Riko’s flashlight flickered.Once.Twice.And on the third flash—something appeared reflected on the screen.A silhouette.Not far away, at the other end of the bridge.Standing still.Utterly still.As if it had been watching them for hours.“What… is that?” Kenji asked.“I don’t know, but I already hate it,” Riko replied, lowering her phone slowly.Sam didn’t speak.Not because he couldn’t,but because something inside him whispered that he shouldn’t.That same part of him that didn’t know if what he was seeing was real—or meant only for him.The figure didn’t move,but the air around it did.The wind twisted, the sound warped,and for a moment, Sam swore he heard something inside his head.A voice.Whispering his name.“...Sam.”Riko’s flashlight went out completely.Darkness.Silence.And then—a normal, human voice cut through everything:“Hey! What are you kids doing out here!?” shouted a guard from the far side of the bridge.The three of them spun around at the same time, almost tripping over each other.The guard shone a real flashlight at them—not that strange, pale glow that had surrounded them before.“This place is off-limits after six! Out, now!”Without saying a word, the three ran.And as they fled, Sam dared to look back…The guard was still there, light raised high.But behind him—that silhouette still stood.Only now…it no longer had a shape.