Our family group chat is called Fam ❤️. Five people. Me, Mom, Dad, my sister Zoe, my little brother Sam. Tonight my phone buzzed and the header said 6 members. The new one had no name. No profile photo. Just a gray circle. Mom: "who is this??" Three dots. Typing. Then it sent one photo. Our living room. The couch. Dad's mug on the coffee table, still steaming. Taken from inside the house.

Dad: "Nobody move. I'm going downstairs." Me: "dad don't" Zoe: "DAD PLEASE" We all watched the chat instead of moving. The gray circle started typing. It typed for a long time. Way too long for what came out. One line: "Tell him to check the closet first."

Mom: "NOBODY goes downstairs. I'm calling 911." We locked our doors. I sat on the floor against mine and listened to Mom's voice through the wall, giving our address. The gray circle typed the entire time she talked. When she hung up, it posted: "The police can't remove me from the group either." Then: "Ask them about the Renner family. Same house. 1994."