Chapter 1 — Evelyn panics over her missing phone — Until Chloe points toward the corner and mentions mysterious vibrations
Evelyn spun around the living room in a state of absolute panic, shouting frantically into the empty air.
Where is my phone?!
Her young daughter sat crumpled on the hardwood floor in her bright yellow hoodie, sobbing uncontrollably.
Caleb knelt beside the distressed girl, gently placing his hands on her shoulders to calm her down.
So many vibrations, the little girl wept through her tears, pointing a trembling finger toward the corner of the room.
Evelyn paced back and forth, holding her head in her hands while panic consumed her every thought.
Caleb stood up and walked steadily toward a wicker laundry basket resting near the sofa.
Piling up neatly inside were soft blankets and folded laundry, looking completely normal at first glance.
He reached down and gently lifted the top grey blanket to inspect the contents underneath.
Nestled quietly beneath the folds was Evelyn’s missing smartphone, completely out of sight.
The screen suddenly lit up brightly, displaying an incoming call from an unknown number ringing insistently.
Evelyn froze in absolute terror as she stared at the glowing screen recovered from the hidden spot.
She took a sharp step closer to the basket, her eyes locked on the illuminated display.
The incoming caller ID showed no saved name, only a string of digits marked as restricted.
Caleb stared down at the blinking device with a furrowed brow, slowly picking it up by the edges.
Neither of them had placed the phone inside the laundry basket, let alone buried it beneath heavy blankets.
As the phone continued to vibrate against Caleb’s palm, the call history icon flashed briefly on the screen.
Caleb pressed his thumb against the home button to pull up the recent call logs before the screen could go dark again.