I know you're hiding."
For a moment… no one moved.
No one even breathed.
Those four words on the screen felt heavier than anything we had faced till now. It didn't feel like a random message. It didn't feel like a joke.
It felt real.
Too real.
"Sam…" Ammy whispered, her voice barely audible, "don't touch anything."
But it was too late.
He was already holding the phone.
His fingers slightly shaking.
"Who the hell is this…?" he muttered.
The screen went dark again.
Silence returned.
But not normal silence.
This one was alive.
Watching.
Waiting.
"We should leave," I said immediately.
"No," Sam replied.
I looked at him.
"Are you mad? Someone literally knows we're here."
"Exactly," he said. "Which means… they were here."
That hit hard.
I looked around the room again.
Every corner suddenly felt different.
Suspicious.
As if someone was still watching us.
From somewhere we couldn't see.
"What if they're still here?" Ammy said.
My grip tightened.
"Then we shouldn't stay," I replied.
But Sam wasn't moving.
He kept staring at the phone.
Thinking.
Processing.
"There's no name… just a number," he said.
"Call it," I said without thinking.
Both of them looked at me.
"What?" Ammy said.
"If they know we're here… let's know who they are," I replied.
Silence.
Risky idea.
But maybe the only way.
Sam hesitated.
Then slowly pressed the call button.
The phone started ringing.
Each ring felt louder than the last.
One.
Two.
Three.
No answer.
Four.
Five.
And then—
The call connected.
But no one spoke.
Just silence.
Breathing.
Faint.
On the other side.
My chest tightened.
"Who is this?" Sam said firmly.
No response.
"Stop playing games," he said again.
Still nothing.
And then—
A whisper.
Low.
Distorted.
Almost like it wasn't clear.
But enough to understand.
"Too late…"
The call cut.
All three of us froze.
"What did he say?" Ammy asked quickly.
"Too late…" Sam replied.
A cold chill ran through my entire body.
Too late… for what?
Before we could think further—
We heard something outside.
A sudden loud noise.
Like something falling.
From the front side of the house.
Ammy flinched.
"Mumma…" she said instantly.
But this didn't sound normal.
It sounded urgent.
Something was wrong.
We looked at each other.
Confused.
Tense.
And then—
A scream.
Loud.
Clear.
From inside the house.
Ammy's face went pale instantly.
"That's Mumma…" she said, panic rising.
Without thinking, she ran.
Straight out of the storage room.
"Ammy wait!" I shouted, but she didn't stop.
I followed.
Sam behind me.
We rushed towards the house.
Fast.
Heart racing.
Mind blank.
The moment we entered—
Everything felt chaotic.
A chair was lying on the floor.
Something had broken.
And in the middle—
Her mother.
Standing.
Breathing heavily.
And in front of her—
That man.
The same man.
The one Sam saw before.
The one who wasn't supposed to be here.
"What is going on?" Ammy asked, stepping forward.
Her mother turned sharply.
"Where were you?" she asked angrily.
But before Ammy could answer—
The man spoke.
Calm.
Too calm.
"She was outside," he said.
Silence.
All of us looked at him.
My heart dropped.
"How do you know?" her mother asked.
He smiled slightly.
Not normal.
Not friendly.
Something else.
Something darker.
"I told you…" he said slowly, "…I've been watching."
Everything inside me froze.
Watching.
Again.
That same word.
Ammy stepped back slightly.
Fear clear in her eyes now.
"Who are you?" she asked.
He looked at her.
Directly.
And for a second…
It felt like he already knew everything about her.
"Someone who knows more than you think," he replied.
Tension filled the room.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Dangerous.
"What do you want?" I asked, stepping forward.
His eyes shifted to me.
And for the first time—
There was a slight smile on his face.
"You," he said.
My heart stopped.
"What?" I said.
But before he could answer—
Her mother shouted—
"Bas! Enough!"
Silence.
She looked at all of us.
Angry.
Confused.
Suspicious.
"This ends now," she said firmly.
"No more going outside."
"No terrace."
"No talking to anyone."
Her eyes stopped on me.
"And especially… not you."
That hit hard.
But the real problem wasn't her.
It was him.
Because he was still smiling.
Still calm.
Still watching.
As if this was just the beginning.
And then—
He said something that made everything worse—
"Lock doors don't stop everything…"
A chill ran through my spine.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
But he didn't reply.
He just turned.
And walked out.
Slowly.
Like he wasn't in a hurry.
Like he knew…
He would be back.
Soon.
Very soon.
And the moment he stepped outside—
My phone vibrated.
I froze.
Slowly took it out.
A message.
Unknown number.
Same as before.
I opened it.
And my hands went cold.
Because it said—
"Now it starts."
"Now it starts."
For a second… I couldn't feel my hands.
The phone felt heavier than it should.
My eyes stayed locked on that message.
Three simple words.
But something about them…
Was terrifying.
"What happened?" Sam asked, noticing my face.
I didn't reply immediately.
I just turned the phone towards them.
Both of them leaned closer.
Read it.
And froze.
Silence.
Deep.
Uncomfortable.
"What does that even mean…?" Ammy whispered.
I shook my head slowly.
"I don't know… but this isn't normal."
Sam clenched his jaw.
"This guy… he's not random," he said.
"I know," I replied.
"He knew we were there."
"He was watching before."
"And now this message…"
Everything was connecting.
Too perfectly.
Too dangerously.
"We need to figure out who he is," Sam said.
"And fast."
Before I could reply—
Her mother's voice cut through again.
"Tum log abhi bhi yahin khade ho?" she said angrily.
All three of us turned instantly.
Her eyes were already filled with suspicion.
"Inside. Now," she said firmly.
No one argued.
We moved.
Silently.
The atmosphere inside the house had changed completely.
It didn't feel like a home anymore.
It felt like something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Ammy sat down quietly.
Her hands still slightly shaking.
Sam stood near the door, thinking.
And I…
I couldn't stop looking at my phone.
That message.
That number.
That feeling.
As if someone was watching even now.
From somewhere.
"You need to leave," Sam said suddenly, looking at me.
I looked up.
"What?"
"If Mumma gets more suspicious, it's over," he said.
He was right.
I nodded slowly.
But before leaving—
I looked at Ammy.
She looked back.
And in that moment…
We didn't say anything.
But everything was clear.
Fear.
Confusion.
And something else—
A question.
"What now?"
I stepped back slowly.
Turned.
And walked out.
But the moment I stepped outside—
That feeling came back.
Strong.
Sharp.
Like someone was watching.
I looked around.
Empty road.
Silent evening.
Nothing unusual.
But still…
Something felt off.
I started walking faster.
My mind replaying everything.
The man.
The message.
The voice on the call.
"Too late…"
Too late for what?
And then—
I saw him.
Standing across the street.
Near the corner.
Same man.
Looking straight at me.
My heartbeat exploded.
He didn't move.
Didn't hide.
Just stood there.
Watching.
I stopped.
For a second.
We stared at each other.
Distance between us.
But tension stronger than anything.
I wanted to go towards him.
Ask everything.
End this.
But my body didn't move.
Something inside me said—
"Don't."
And then—
He smiled.
Slightly.
Cold.
And turned.
Walking away.
Into the darkness.
Like he was never there.
My chest felt tight.
This wasn't over.
Not even close.
I rushed back home.
Closed the door behind me.
But even inside—
I didn't feel safe.
My room felt different.
Silent.
Too silent.
I locked the door.
Sat on the bed.
Trying to think.
Trying to understand.
But nothing made sense.
And then—
My phone vibrated again.
I froze.
Slowly picked it up.
Same number.
Another message.
I opened it.
Heart pounding.
And what I read—
Made everything worse.
"Don't trust him."
I frowned.
Him?
Who?
Sam?
Myself?
Or…
Someone else?
Before I could think further—
Another message came.
Immediately.
As if he knew what I was thinking.
"Not the brother…"
My breath stopped.
If not Sam…
Then who?
A chill ran down my spine.
Because that left only one person.
My mind raced.
"No…" I whispered.
"That's not possible…"
But deep down…
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
And then—
One last message came.
The final one.
That night.
"Check your window."
I froze completely.
Slowly.
Very slowly…
I turned my head.
Towards the window.
Curtain slightly moving.
From the breeze.
Or…
Something else.
My heartbeat was uncontrollable now.
I stood up.
Step by step.
Moving closer.
Every second felt heavier.
And just as I reached out to pull the curtain—
I saw a shadow.
Right outside.
Standing.
Waiting.