One month had passed in a blink.
And strangely… life went back to normal.
No warnings.
No strange movements.
No feeling of being watched.
The hospital laughed again. The staff complained again. The nights felt lighter. Almost safe.
Almost enough to make Mia believe that maybe—just maybe—everything she and Andrew had feared was only in their heads.
Until they made the worst mistake of their lives.
FLASHBACK
Two hours earlier
It was 3 a.m.
The hour when tiredness stopped making sense and everything felt funny for no reason at all.
Most of the night-shift staff had gathered near the nurse station. Someone was laughing too loudly, someone else was telling a half-finished story, and the rest were just enjoying the rare moment where nothing urgent was happening.
Mia leaned against the counter, sipping coffee when she glanced at Andrew.
He was smiling. Actually smiling.
"Wow," she said. "Didn't know you were capable of looking relaxed."
He scoffed. "Says the one who fell asleep standing yesterday."
"That was meditation," she replied quickly.
Andrew laughed—and before she knew it, he grabbed the file from her hands and stepped back.
"Hey!" she protested.
"Come take it," he said, already walking away.
She chased him without thinking, laughing softly so no one would hear. They moved down the corridor, away from the noise, away from the lights—
Until Andrew stopped suddenly.
Mia bumped into his back.
"Why did you—" she whispered.
Then she noticed where they were.
The Old Wing.
The door stood half open.
Her laughter died instantly.
Before either of them could react, voices echoed through the corridor.
Low. Serious. Not meant to be heard.
"…not ready yet," a man said.
"They won't ask questions," another replied. "They never do."
"And the reactions?"
A pause.
"Acceptable."
Mia's heart started pounding.
"Then move them," the first voice said. "Once everything aligns, the rest will follow."
Andrew's hand found her wrist, his grip firm but trembling.
Footsteps came closer.
They didn't breathe. They didn't move.
The voices passed.
Gone.
When they finally stepped back into the light, neither of them spoke. There was nothing to say.
They had heard something they were never supposed to hear.
PRESENT TIME
They stood in the hallway, side by side, but miles apart in their thoughts.
"Do you think they noticed us?" Mia whispered.
Andrew swallowed. "I don't know."
Before fear could settle any deeper, alarms blared.
A patient was rushed past them toward the ICU. Shouting. Running. Orders flying.
Instinct took over.
For a while, fear was replaced by urgency.
Later, they sat in the cafeteria, exhausted, cups of coffee untouched. The noise around them faded into the background.
Neither spoke.
But both were thinking the same thing.
Acceptable.
Move them.
The rest will follow.
Mia's phone vibrated.
She glanced down absentmindedly.
An unknown number.
The message loaded.
"I warned you both.
I thought you understood when to stop.
But now… it's time."
Her fingers went numb.
The phone slipped from her hand.
"Mia?" Andrew said, panic rising in his voice. "What happened?"
She didn't answer.
She couldn't.
Andrew picked up her phone.
Read the message.
His face drained of color.
Slowly, he looked at her.
This time, there was no misunderstanding.
No doubt.
Whatever they had stepped into wasn't watching anymore.
It was ready.
***********************************************
Heyyy guysss I m back.
The first hook of this book✨