Victor and his friends

A sharp ping cut through the quiet hum of Victor’s apartment, an unwelcome message past midnight. He blinked, phone clutched in a loose grip, the screen a sudden beacon.“Who texts at this hour?” Victor mumbled, thumb hovering over the notification.“Probably Alex, forgot his keys again,” a voice from the kitchen called out, a clatter of ceramic following. Rose, the night owl who was making tea for herself.Victor scoffed. “He’d just bang on the door. This is… an unknown number.” He tapped, the message unfolding. “It’s just… a string of numbers.”Rose appeared, mug steaming, a wary smile playing on her lips. “A secret admirer, perhaps? Or a wrong number. Go back to sleep, Vic , you need to get up in the morning as well , you have an early shift.” She said while she sipped her tea.“No, wait. There’s a second message.” Victor’s brow furrowed. “It’s a picture. A blurry one. Looks like… a street sign? And a shadow.”Rose leaned in closer, clearly intrigued by the series of events. After all, she is a mystery buff. Victor zoomed in, his fingers tracing the faint lines on the screen. “Hard to tell. Definitely a sign but it's definitely a sign. And the numbers… They look like coordinates. Latitude, longitude.” “Coordinates?” Rose’s casual demeanor shifted. “Now that’s not a wrong number, Vic. Someone’s sending you a treasure map.”“A treasure map at one in the morning? For me?” Victor shook his head. “No, this has to be a mistake. Or a prank. Alex, probably. He knows I hate late-night texts.”“He wouldn’t be this elaborate. Not usually, anyway,” “Then why the coordinates? And why send it twice?” Rose said casually. Victor scrolled back through the string of messages. “The first message is just the numbers. The second is the picture.” He looked up, a flicker of unease crossing his features. “And it says ‘Midnight '. Tomorrow.’ But it’s already past midnight. So… tonight?”Rose paused, lowering her mug. “Okay, that’s a little… specific. And a little creepy. Don’t go, Vic. Just ignore it.” “Ignore it?You sure? What if it’s important?” Victor argued, though his voice lacked conviction. “What if someone’s in trouble?”,“If someone’s in trouble, they call the police, not send cryptic coordinates and blurry shadows,” Rose pointed out. “This screams ‘bad idea.’ Go to bed.” She gestured towards his bedroom.Victor hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s probably nothing.” But as he walked away, he glanced back at his phone, the screen still glowing faintly on the coffee table. Victor wanted to know what was going on but Rose was right it was probably a bad idea

***

Morning sunlight streamed through the blinds, but Victor felt no warmth. He’d barely slept, the cryptic messages replaying in his mind. He grabbed his phone, the messages still there, unsettlingly real.“Still thinking about your midnight mystery?” Rose’s voice, chipper this time, drifted from the kitchen. The smell of coffee filled the air.Victor walked in, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “It just doesn’t make sense. And I looked up the coordinates.” Rose looked up from her coffee and made a face “ ugh! You look gross, did you even sleep last night?” Victor shook his head affirming the idea Rose had that victor did not sleep a wink.Rose’s spoon clattered against her bowl. “You looked them up? I told you to ignore it!”,“I know, I know.” Victor held up his hands defensively. “But I couldn’t help it. And guess what? It’s the old abandoned warehouse district down by the docks , what is that place called again.”

“ Mariana dock” Rose said. “Exactly Mariana Dock” victor affirmed.

Rose stared, her cereal forgotten. “No way. That’s… specific. And a bit too close for comfort.”

“Exactly,” Victor agreed, his voice tight. “And the time stamp on the second message? It was sent exactly at midnight. ‘Midnight. Tomorrow.’ It meant *last* night. Or rather, this morning. I missed it.” He slumped onto a stool. “What if I missed something important?”

The front door burst open, and Alex strode in, a wide grin plastered across his face. “Morning, sunshine! What’s with the long faces? You two look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Victor and Rose exchanged a look.

“Alex, this is serious,” Victor began, holding out his phone. “Look at this.”

Alex took the phone, his grin slowly fading as he read the messages and saw the picture. “Coordinates? A blurry street sign? ‘Midnight. Tomorrow.’ What is this, a scavenger hunt?” He chuckled, but it sounded forced.

“That’s what I thought at first,” Victor said, leaning forward. “But then I looked up the coordinates. It’s the old Maritime Salvage warehouse. And I missed the deadline. What if someone was waiting for me?”

Alex scrolled through the messages again. “An unknown number. No name. No context beyond this. It’s… odd. But a little too elaborate for a simple prank, even for me.” He gave Victor a pointed look.

“See? I told you,” Victor said to Rose.

Rose sighed, shaking her head. “It still feels like a trap. Or just a weird, elaborate wrong number.”

“But what if it’s not?” Victor pressed. “What if someone needs help? What if it’s a clue to something bigger?” He stood, pacing the small kitchen. “I should go check it out. See if there’s anything there.”

“Absolutely not,” Rose stated firmly. “You are not going to some abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere based on a cryptic text message. That’s how people end up in true crime podcasts, Vic.”

Alex nodded in agreement. “She’s right. If you’re that worried, call the police. But they’d probably just laugh at you.”

“They would,” Victor conceded. “But I can’t just sit here. What if it was meant for me? What if it’s about… that thing?” His voice dropped, almost a whisper.

Rose and Alex exchanged another glance, a silent understanding passing between them. The ‘thing’ was a shared, unspoken history, a dark period they rarely discussed.

“Vic, don’t go there,” Alex warned, his tone softening. “That’s over. This has nothing to do with it.”

“How do you know?” Victor countered, his voice rising. “What if it’s a warning? What if someone found out?”

“Found out what?” Rose asked, her voice tight with concern. “What are you even talking about, Vic?”

Victor ran a hand through his hair, agitated. “You know. The whole… incident. With the old man. The money.”

Alex quickly interjected, “That was years ago, Vic. And we handled it. It’s done. Nobody knows.”

“Someone knows now,” Victor insisted, pointing at his phone. “This is too specific. Too close to home. The old docks… that’s where it all started, remember?”

Rose pushed her chair back, standing. “Okay, calm down. Let’s think this through. What exactly are you imagining?”

“I don’t know!” Victor threw his hands up. “But I can’t shake this feeling. This message… It feels personal. Like someone is trying to get my attention. Someone who knows.”

Alex took a deep breath. “Alright. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that someone knows. And they’re sending you cryptic messages. What’s the next step? You go to the warehouse, and then what? You walk into a trap?”

“Or I find a clue,” Victor argued, his jaw set. “Something that explains all of this. I need to know.”Rose stepped closer, placing a hand on his arm. “Vic, please. Don’t do anything reckless. Let’s talk about this. What if we go with you?”

Victor looked at her, then at Alex. “You would?”Alex sighed, running a hand over his face. “You’re going to go anyway, aren’t you? I might as well be there to pull you out of trouble.”

“And I’m not letting you two go alone,” Rose added, a determined glint in her eyes. “But we go together. And we don’t go in. We just observe. From a safe distance.”Victor nodded, a flicker of relief mixed with the anxiety. “Okay. Deal.”

***

Later that afternoon, the three of them stood a block away from the crumbling facade of the Maritime Salvage warehouse. The air was thick with the scent of damp concrete and brine from the nearby harbor. Graffiti marred every visible surface, vibrant colors bleeding into the grime.“This place gives me the creeps,” Rose whispered, pulling her jacket tighter. “It’s exactly the kind of place where bad things happen in movies.”

“Exactly,” Victor agreed, his eyes scanning the desolate street. “See? No one. Just us.”

“Maybe that’s the point,” Alex murmured, adjusting his baseball cap. “Maybe whoever sent the message is already gone. Or they’re watching us.” He peered into the shadows of the alleyways.“So, what now?” Rose asked, her voice barely audible. “Do we just… stand here?”

Victor pulled out his phone, re-reading the message. “Midnight. Tomorrow. So, last night. What if there was something here, and it’s gone now?”

“Or what if they meant *tonight*?” Alex suggested. “Like, the midnight *after* the message was sent. That would be in… what, six hours?”Victor’s eyes widened. “That’s a possibility. But the wording was so ambiguous.” He looked at the warehouse, a gaping maw of broken windows and rusted metal. “I need to get closer. Just to see if there’s anything.”

“No, Vic, no,” Rose hissed, grabbing his arm. “Remember the plan? Observe. From a distance.”

“But what if there’s a clue?” Victor insisted, pulling away gently. “Just a quick look. I won’t go inside.”Before they could argue further, a figure emerged from the shadows of the warehouse entrance. It was a man, tall and lean, wearing a dark hoodie, his face obscured. He carried a small, rectangular object.Victor froze, heart hammering against his ribs. “Oh my god. He’s here.”

“Stay still,” Alex whispered, pulling Victor and Rose further into the cover of a derelict truck. The man walked slowly, purposefully, his eyes scanning the street. He stopped, looking directly at their hiding spot.Victor held his breath.The man raised the object he carried. It was a phone. He tapped the screen.Suddenly, Victor’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He fumbled for it, his hands shaking. Another message. From the same unknown number.He opened it, his eyes darting between the screen and the figure in the distance. The message was a single word: “WATCHING.”A cold dread settled in Victor’s stomach. “He knows we’re here,” he breathed, barely audible.The man in the hoodie turned, walking back towards the warehouse, then disappeared inside.“What was that?” Rose whispered, her voice trembling. “Did he see us?” “He sent a message,” Victor replied, showing them the screen. “‘WATCHING.’”Alex swore under his breath. “Okay, this is officially beyond a prank. This is… unsettling.”

“We need to get out of here,” Rose urged, tugging at Victor’s arm. “Now. Before he comes back out.”Victor, however, was transfixed. “He wants me to go in. He’s taunting me.”

“He’s probably a deranged serial killer,” Alex countered, pulling Victor firmly. “Let’s go, Vic. We’ve seen enough.”But Victor resisted. “No. I need to know what he wants. What’s in there?”

“Whatever it is, it’s not worth risking your life for,” Rose pleaded, her eyes wide with fear. Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from inside the warehouse, followed by a metallic clang.

All three of them jumped.“What was that?” Alex whispered, his hand going to his pocket, though he had nothing to defend himself with.“He’s doing something in there,” Victor said, a strange mix of fear and determination in his voice. “I have to know.”He started to move, but Alex grabbed him, holding him back. “No! We call the police. We tell them everything.”

“They won’t believe us,” Victor argued, struggling against Alex’s grip. “Cryptic texts? A blurry picture? They’ll think we’re crazy.”Another crash, louder this time, followed by a distinct scraping sound.“Okay, that’s it,” Alex declared, pulling out his own phone. “I’m calling 911. We have a suspicious person, possible breaking and entering.”As Alex dialed, the figure in the hoodie reappeared at the warehouse entrance, but this time, he wasn’t alone. Another person, also in a dark hoodie, emerged behind him. And then another. And another.Four figures stood silhouetted against the fading light, all looking in their direction.Victor felt a surge of pure terror. “Oh my god. There’s more of them.”Rose let out a small gasp. “This is bad, Vic. Really bad.”Alex dropped his phone, fumbling to pick it up. “They’re coming this way!”Indeed, the four figures began to move, slowly at first, then picking up pace, fanning out as they approached.“Run!” Rose screamed, pulling Victor. “Run, Vic!”They turned and bolted, scrambling down the street, their footsteps echoing loudly in the oppressive silence. Victor’s heart hammered, his lungs burning. He risked a glance over his shoulder. The figures were gaining on them.“They’re fast!” Alex panted, keeping pace beside him.They rounded a corner, hoping to lose their pursuers in the maze of empty streets. Victor could hear their own ragged breathing, loud in his ears.“Where do we go?” Rose cried, stumbling slightly.“Just keep running!” Victor urged, pushing her forward.Another corner. Another empty street. The chase felt endless, the shadows lengthening around them, distorting the familiar landscape into something menacing.Suddenly, a loud, collective shout erupted from behind them.

“GOTCHA!”

Victor flinched, expecting to be tackled. He spun around, Alex and Rose skidding to a halt beside him.Standing there, no longer in dark hoodies but now wearing party hats, were not four, but five figures. And as they pulled down their hoods, familiar faces emerged.Alex’s cousin, Maria. Rose’s brother, Ben. Victor’s eccentric aunt, Clara. And holding a large, brightly colored banner that read, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VICTOR!” were two more friends, Liam and Chloe, grinning from ear to ear.The man who had first emerged from the warehouse, now revealed as Liam, held up his phone, a mischievous glint in his eye. “Did you get the messages? Did you follow the clues?”Victor stared, mouth agape, his terror slowly draining away, replaced by utter bewilderment. “What… what is this?”Rose and Alex, equally stunned, looked from the party-hatted group to Victor, then back again.“It’s your surprise birthday party, you big dummy!” Chloe laughed, stepping forward, a cake in her hands, candles flickering merrily. “We’ve been planning this for weeks! The cryptic texts, the coordinates, the blurry picture… it was all to get you here!”

“And the ‘Midnight. Tomorrow.’ was to throw you off!” Liam added, high-fiving Maria. “We knew you’d overthink it, Vic.”

“We had to make it dramatic,” Ben chimed in, adjusting his slightly askew party hat. “You always say you want a mystery, Vic. So we gave you one!”Victor felt a laugh bubble up, a hysterical, disbelieving sound. “You… you chased us? You scared us half to death?”Aunt Clara, ever the dramatic one, put a hand to her chest. “Oh, darling, that was the best part! Your face! Priceless!”Rose let out a shaky laugh, leaning against Alex. “I thought we were going to die.”Alex, still catching his breath, managed a weak grin. “I almost called the cops on my own cousin.”

“Happy birthday, Vic!” Liam said, stepping forward, his phone still in hand. “And the ‘WATCHING’ text? That was me, telling the others you were almost here.”Victor shook his head, a genuine smile finally breaking through. “You guys are insane. Absolutely insane.” He looked at the cake, then at his grinning friends. “But… thank you. I think.” He took a deep, shaky breath, the lingering adrenaline finally giving way to warmth. “You really got me.”

“That was the point, birthday boy,” Chloe said, holding out the cake. “Now, make a wish!”

Victor looked at the flickering candles, then at his friends, still laughing and catching their breath. The abandoned warehouse, once a place of dread, now seemed to shimmer with the light of their shared absurdity. He closed his eyes, a genuine smile on his face, and made a wish for many more ridiculous, terrifying, and ultimately joyful moments with the people who knew him best.

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