A few nights later, Jennifer was actively working in the coffee shop as like any other day. She eagerly waited for her friends to arrive first thing that morning to discuss the events that transcribed just days earlier. Noemi was the first to walk in, still distraught not only over her brother being the only one of their family members to survive the cabin carbon monoxide poisoning, but over the gruesome scene in the trunk of her car. Jennifer silently handed her the group’s coffee order before Noemi could even ask.

            ‘How could someone even put that stuff in my trunk?’ asked Noemi.

            Before Jennifer could even respond, Dominic, Jonah, and Willa walked in.

            Jennifer finally told her, ‘Honey, it’s beyond any of us as to who would do that.’ She further added, ‘If Anna has the other key to your car, you need to deduce that it might’ve been her playing a nasty prank on you.’

            ‘She’s right,’ said Jonah. He had still been spiraling over in his mind about his text message from Z.

            Willa then chimed in, ‘Unless Z wants us to believe that. I’d rather find out who in this town, if anyone here, decided to do that.’

            The group continued talking as Jennifer walked into the break room, when her phone chimed. She pulled it out and it was a text from ANONYMOUS.

You are such a back-seat bitch. Take a hold of the wheel or I’ll bite back when you least expect it. No one wants your secrets going down the cliff before you do.

            She ran back to the group and showed them the text message. Everyone was equally puzzled and shocked that Jennifer of all people would receive a text. Dominic noticed a certain thing with the text that the others hadn’t yet. ‘It doesn’t say it’s from Z,’ he exclaimed.

            ‘You’re right, but it still could be from them if anything over the past few days has proved to us,’ said Jennifer.

            Has anyone wanted to go to the police about this?’ asked Noemi.

            The group then pondered the questions and then went their separate ways. Jennifer truly wondered Could Anna be Z? Could anyone be? She then went back to working away over the next several hours pondering the questions now reeling in her head.

            After nearly 6 hours, her phone chimed again. She pulled it out and read the message, now clearly noted from Z.

Quiet honey, better keep it to yourself, or else the ’71 Charger with you in it is a crumpled mess of secrets and blood.

-Z

            She shuddered and immediately clocked out, leaving to find Dominic wherever he was in town. As soon as she opened the door, she nearly ran right into him.

            ‘Jen, what are you doing?’, he asked.

            ‘I got another text, and it’s disturbing’, she replied.

            Jennifer then showed him the text message, where they then sat for the next several hours past her shift ending to discuss the message and pondered why Z would now target her in connection to the main trio and Jonah. As they pondered this, an odd giggle rang out in the empty coffee shop. The duo looked around to try and find the source of the sound, only to end up fruitless in their quest.

            Dominic finally said, ‘Cryptically speaking, we’re fucked.’

            From outside the coffee shop, looking in through the windows from a car, was a shadowy hoodied figure, rolling up the window giggling to themselves after taking a photo of Dominic and Jennifer together in a perplexed state.