Chapter 34: The Message in Blood
The apartment was silent. Too silent.
Aryan and Karan stood in the doorway, their eyes locked onto the horrifying sight before them.
The walls were covered in blood.
Not just random smears—words were written.
"NOW I SEE YOU, BUT YOU DON'T."
The letters dripped down the white paint, the deep crimson color still fresh.
A chill ran down Aryan's spine. Someone had been here.
Recently.
Karan took a shaky step forward, his breath uneven. "No… no, no, no."
His fists clenched as he scanned the rest of the apartment. Nothing was missing. Nothing was stolen.
This wasn't a robbery.
It was a message.
A warning.
And worst of all—whoever did this had been inside their home.
Watching them.
Waiting.
Naina and Riya arrived minutes later, both visibly shaken by the sight of the bloodied message.
"Is this real blood?" Riya whispered, covering her mouth.
Naina put on gloves and carefully touched the red smear. "It's fresh."
Aryan turned to Karan, whose face was pale with rage. "The doors were locked when we left, right?"
Karan nodded slowly. "Yeah. Windows too. There's no way someone could have entered unless they had a key."
Naina's jaw tightened. "Or unless they were already inside."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Riya's hands trembled as she backed away from the wall. "You mean… they were hiding here? While we were sleeping?"
No one answered.
Because the thought was too terrifying to process.
Naina pulled out her gun and immediately began searching the apartment for any more disturbances.
Aryan and Karan checked the bedrooms, closets, even under the furniture. But there was no sign of anyone. No footprints. No fingerprints.
Just the blood.
And then—
A beeping sound.
Aryan's head snapped toward the desk. His laptop.
It was on, even though he hadn't used it in hours.
His stomach twisted as he stepped closer, reaching out cautiously. The screen flickered once—
Then—
BOOM!
A small explosion erupted from the device, sending sparks flying. Aryan stumbled backward, barely avoiding the shockwave.
The laptop was destroyed.
Karan coughed, waving the smoke away. "What the hell was that?"
Naina moved quickly, inspecting the wreckage. "A device was planted inside. A small-scale explosive. Not meant to kill—just to destroy data."
Aryan cursed under his breath. "All of our notes… all of our files on the cult… gone."
Karan punched the wall. "They were one step ahead. Again."
Aryan exhaled sharply. "They're not just watching us. They're controlling the game."
Naina turned to the bloodied wall, her gaze dark. "And they're making sure we know it."
Aryan's phone buzzed.
His stomach dropped.
He didn't even have to look at the screen to know who it was.
Unknown Number.
Slowly, he answered. "Who is this?"
A distorted voice chuckled on the other end.
"Did you like my gift?"
Aryan's fists clenched. "You son of a—"
The voice cut him off. "Shh. Don't be rude, Aryan. We've been watching you for so long."
The mocking tone made Aryan's blood boil. "What do you want?"
The voice paused. Then—
"I want you to understand."
Aryan's jaw tightened. "Understand what?"
Another chuckle.
"That we see everything. We control everything. You think you're hunting us?"
A long pause.
"We're hunting you."
Then—the line went dead.
Aryan slowly lowered the phone, his hands shaking.
Karan swallowed hard. "What did they say?"
Aryan's voice was low, cold.
"They're watching us."
He turned to look at the bloodstained message on the wall.
And for the first time since this nightmare began—he felt truly helpless.
Elsewhere…
A dark surveillance room.
Multiple screens flickered, showing live feeds from different locations across the city.
In the center of the room, a man in a metallic mask stood watching.
He held a burner phone in his gloved hands, replaying Aryan's recorded fearful silence after the call.
A soft chuckle escaped his lips.
"Now," he whispered, "the real game begins."
He turned to one of the screens.
It showed a live feed of Aryan and Karan's apartment.
The camera was hidden.
And they never even knew.