Author: Aaron Blake
There’s a vending machine at the far end of the English hallway that doesn’t work right. Everyone says so.
You put in a dollar for chips, it gives you a notebook. You pick water, you get orange soda. But sometimes—if you press D4 twice. It spits out a folded note instead.
I found that out by accident during detention last Thursday. The hallway was empty, lights flickering, that low hum you hear when no one else is around. I just wanted a candy bar.
The note said:
“If you see her, don’t look away.”
I laughed. Probably a prank. But then I noticed something in the reflection of the vending machine glass, like someone standing behind me, just out of focus.
I turned. No one there.
When I looked back, the reflection was empty too.
Now, every time I pass that machine, I catch a flicker in the corner of my eye. Someone waiting for me to press D4 again.
