Chapter 6 - Reading the Ghost's Eyes
They didn't go to the local police station. Evelyn drove them straight to her cottage, locking the heavy oak door and pulling the curtains shut. The storm outside seemed to wrap around the tiny house, isolating them from the rest of Cedar Hollow.
Caleb’s hands were shaking as he sat at the kitchen table. He pulled the micro-SD card from his pocket. It was tiny, dusty, and seventeen years old.
"Do you think it still works?" Evelyn asked, her voice a whisper as she brought over her laptop and a multi-port card reader. "Technology from back then... if there was moisture in the toy..."
"It was sealed in a plastic casing," Caleb said. He inserted the card into the reader and plugged it into the laptop.
The computer chimed, a small loading circle spinning on the screen. Caleb held his breath.
A drive labeled NO_NAME appeared on the desktop.
He clicked on it. Inside was a single folder, and within that folder, a dozen video files, all dated November 2025. Most of them were short, only a few megabytes.
Caleb clicked on the very last file: VID_0012.AVI.
The screen went black for a moment, then a grainy, low-resolution video appeared. The camera angle was slightly tilted, looking down from the top shelf of the nursery.
The room was warm, decorated in soft yellows and blues. In the center of the frame sat a baby in a high chair—a tiny, chubby-cheeked Caleb, happily chewing on a blue rubber elephant.
A woman walked into the frame. She wore a yellow cardigan, her long brown hair tied back in a loose braid. She was beautiful, but her face was lined with a deep, exhausting fear. She walked over to the crib, touching the wooden slats, her hand resting protectively on her heavily pregnant belly.
"Mom," Caleb whispered, his voice cracking. It was the first time he had ever seen her move, the first time he had heard her voice when she spoke to the baby.
"My sweet boy," Mara whispered in the video, her voice soft but trembling. "We’re going to leave tonight. I have the keys. We’re going to Aunt Evelyn's, and we’re never coming back."
Suddenly, the nursery door swung open.
Preston walked into the frame. Seventeen years younger, his hair dark, his face handsome but cold. "Who are you talking to, Mara?"
Mara jumped, stepping back against the crib, her hand instinctively shielding Caleb. "Nothing, Preston. Just... singing to him."
"You have your coat on," Preston said, his voice deceptively quiet. "And the baby's bag is packed in the hall."
"We're going to visit Evelyn," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "She's not well, she needs—"
"You're not going anywhere," Preston interrupted, stepping closer. The camera captured the sudden, terrifying shift in his posture. He grabbed her arm. "You think I don't know what you've been doing? The bank accounts? The whispering with your sister?"
"Let go of me, Preston! You're hurting me!"
"You are my wife!" Preston roared, his voice exploding through the laptop speakers. "You don't leave me! I built this life for us! You will not ruin it!"
The struggle was brief but violent. Preston dragged her toward the door. Mara fought back, her fingers clawing at his face, her screams piercing the quiet nursery. Baby Caleb began to cry, his high-pitched wails filling the room.
"Shut up!" Preston screamed at the baby, before turning his fury back to Mara. He dragged her out into the hallway, just out of the camera's view.
The audio, however, remained agonizingly clear.
There was a loud crash. The sound of wood splintering.
A long, terrible scream from Mara.
And then, the sickening, heavy thud of a body falling down the stairs.
A sudden, awful silence descended on the video, broken only by the frantic crying of the one-year-old Caleb.
A minute later, Preston walked back into the nursery. His shirt was torn, his breathing ragged. He walked over to the baby, his hand wiping a smear of blood onto a white kitchen towel. He bent down, looking directly toward the camera, though he didn't see it, his eyes cold and empty.
"You didn't see anything, little man," he whispered.
The video cut to black.
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Caleb stared at the dark screen, a single tear escaping his eye and rolling down his cheek. Beside him, Evelyn was sobbing, her hands covering her face.
"We have him," Caleb said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "We finally have him."
