Chapter 3: Maya's Doubts

Sofia opened the door. I rushed in and found Maya at her office, a modern glass and steel structure in the heart of the financial district. She was buried behind a screen, her brow furrowed in concentration, but she immediately stopped when she saw me, her eyes widening with concern.

"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," she said, her voice laced with worry.

I breathlessly explained the events of the past few weeks, the unsettling predictions from the app, Future Glimpse, the near-miss accident, the cryptic note tucked under my windshield wiper. I showed her the screenshots of the app, the menacing messages glowing on my phone screen.

She listened, her initial skepticism slowly giving way to concern. I could see the disbelief warring with the growing unease in her eyes.

"Okay, slow down," she said, holding up a hand. "This is... a lot to take in. It could be a coincidence, right? Just a really weird string of coincidences?"

"That's what I kept telling myself," I said, my voice trembling. "But it's not just the predictions. It's the feeling, Maya. The feeling that I'm being watched, that something is controlling everything."

She ran a hand through her hair, her expression conflicted. "I don't know what to say. This app... it's freaky. But predicting the future? That's just not possible."

"I know, I know," I said, desperation creeping into my voice. "But you have to believe me. Something is happening. Something is wrong."

We spent the rest of the afternoon researching the app, the developers, anything that could shed some light on its origins. We scoured the internet, digging through forums and obscure websites, hoping to find a clue, a piece of the puzzle. We found nothing. It was as if Future Glimpse had simply materialized out of thin air, leaving no trace of its existence.

"This is insane," Ethan, our dearest old friend who rushed here upon hearing the situations even though it was storming, finally said after a long silence; even though he was our technical expert, he was giving up the search. "It's like the app doesn't exist outside of your phone."

That night, Sofia, Maya's cousin, insisted I stay at her place. I was too scared to be alone; the thought of spending another night in my apartment, vulnerable and exposed, filled me with dread.

We sat in her living room, the muted glow of the television flickering across our faces. The air hung heavy with unspoken fear. Sofia made us herbal tea, claiming it would calm our nerves, but I mostly felt more on edge.

Then, a new notification popped up on my phone. "The clock ticks forward, but time remembers. The Raven is watching."

I looked at Maya. Her face was pale, her eyes wide with terror. Ethan, who didn't show any emotions even at his family's funeral, had the colour drain from his face.. Even Sofia, the atheist who never believed in anything like superstition, went pale. The silence in the room was deafening, amplified by the rhythmic ticking of a grandfather clock in the hallway.

Then, we heard it. A slow, deliberate tapping at the window. I jumped, nearly knocking over my tea. Sofia gasped and grabbed my arm and Ethan froze like a stature. Maya slowly rose to her feet and looked at me with fright "Should we?" Shaking I replied "We have to." As Maya got closer she gasped and quickly took a step back. I rushed to the window and looked out into the darkness.

It was too dark to see anything out there. I could hear the wind howling and the rain lashing against the glass. I felt a chill run down my spine when I looked to the side and saw a dark figure standing in the shadows. It was tall and thin, and its eyes seemed to glow in the dark. I stepped back as the figure began to move forward, revealing its face. It was old and wrinkled, with a long, hooked nose and piercing black eyes. It wore a long black cloak, and a raven perched on its shoulder. Ethan who was a well-built man, started shaking, and took a step back. Sofia who was the bravest woman I knew hid behind Ethan.

The sight of the feather sent a jolt of terror through me, a sharp reminder of the app's ominous pronouncements. The Raven was real. He was here. And he was watching.

"What do we do?" Maya whispered, her voice barely audible.

"I don't know," I said, my mind racing. "But we can't stay here. He knows where we are."

We had to escape, and had to break free from the Raven's grasp. But where could we go? Where could we hide? The app seemed to know everything, to anticipate our every move. We were trapped in its twisted game, with no escape in sight.

The lines between prediction and reality had blurred, and I was running out of time. The Raven was waiting. And he knew I knew. The tapping at the window continued, a slow, deliberate rhythm that echoed the pounding of my heart. It was a countdown, a chilling reminder that the clock was ticking. And the time for running was almost over.

*Bonus*

Sofia

With this I have given you guys the visuals of all the characters

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***