The Midnight Test

It wasn’t some stranger. It was her own voice. And then a second voice came through, lower and rougher, carrying the same breath and fatigue she would have recognized anywhere. “Mara, Tobin, Jessa, Cal, Nia. If you’re still listening, kill the main power first. Don’t look at the lake. Don’t let Ruth Bell hear all of it. She knows part of the truth, but not all of it. The Cedar Lake tower isn’t dead. The equipment under the water is still running. We only have thirteen minutes.” The recording snagged, as if something on the other end had bitten down on the tape. A shriek of feedback tore through the headphones. Cal dropped onto the floor. “What kind of prank is this?” Jessa’s face had gone white. “We didn’t record anything.”