She Knows

They didn’t talk much on the way there.

Vivi's instinct, they might find a clue to Vincent's mysteries in the alley.

The alley sat behind a set of apartment blocks.

The walls were damp, stained from old rain. A few plastic bags stuck to the concrete like they’d been glued there forever.

Vivi stopped first.

“This is it,” she said, though she wasn’t completely sure. She looked back at the others. “Vincent’s building used to be across the street, right?”

Kellen nodded. “Yeah. Before he moved out.”

Sienna was trailing behind, arms folded. “He really hung out in places like this? Gross.”

Vivi stepped in farther. The alley was narrower than it looked. For a second, it felt like the air changed—cooler, tighter, like the space had shifted around them.

Her eyes fell on the wall ahead.

She didn’t know why she noticed it. It wasn’t big or obvious. Just a patch of brick where something had been carved in deep. Just a mess of lines—crooked, almost frantic. Like someone had pressed in with something sharp, over and over, until the pattern meant something only to them.

Was it a clue?

Was it a question?

Or some random scribbles?

Vivi stared.

Sienna took out her phone. She wasn’t even looking. “This place smells like mould and cat piss,” she muttered.

Kellen stood beside Vivi, close but not touching her. “What is it?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” she said. “But it’s… weird.”

The carving was old, worn down, like it had been there for years—maybe longer. The lines were uneven, crossing over each other, but there was a shape to it. It wasn’t random, even if it wanted to look that way.

Vivi reached out and ran her fingers across it. The surface buzzed faintly against her skin. Or maybe that was just her nerves.

“I feel like I’ve seen this,” she said.

Kellen glanced at her. “When?”

“I don’t know.”

“You mean, like in a dream?”

“No. Not a dream.” She hesitated. “It’s like I know it. But the second I try to think about it… it just goes blank.”

Sienna finally looked up from her screen. “You’re being dramatic.”

“I’m serious,” Vivi said, without turning. Her voice was steady, but quiet. “It’s like my brain recognizes this. Like it’s been here before. But I can’t reach it.”

There was a pause.

“You okay?” Kellen asked.

Vivi didn’t answer. She stepped back a little, taking in the rest of the wall, then the alley. Everything about the place felt off. Not threatening, just… off. Like the space didn’t add up. As if there were missing pieces—angles that didn’t fit, shadows that didn’t follow the light.

Sienna kicked a crushed soda can out of her way. “This is such a waste of time.”

Vivi ignored her. She crouched a little and traced another spot on the wall—something smaller, like a half-carved symbol buried under grime.

Her throat tightened.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” she said. “It’s like... I’m supposed to understand this. But the more I try, the more it slips.”

“Maybe Vincent made this,” Kellen said. “Before he disappeared.”

“Or maybe someone else did,” Sienna added, yawning. “And you’re both just being weird about it.”

“I’m not making it up,” Vivi snapped. She turned to Kellen. “You believe me, right?”

Kellen didn’t answer right away. His jaw tightened. Then he said, “I believe something’s wrong here. I feel it too.”

They stood there for another minute. None of them spoke.

And then the air shifted again—just slightly, like a breath held too long.

Vivi turned to go.

But before she did, she looked back at the wall. Just once.