The word on Lena's screen felt like an electric shock.
RUN.
Her heart started pounding wildly.
Down in the basement, Ryan's voice suddenly echoed.
"Who's there?"
Lena froze.
Her breathing became shallow.
The wooden stairs creaked slightly under her feet.
Ryan started walking toward the stairs.
Each step he took sounded louder than the last.
"Hello?" he called out again.
The two men behind him looked around suspiciously.
Lena's mind screamed one thing.
Move.
But her body refused to listen.
Ryan reached the bottom of the stairs.
Only a few more steps and he would see her.
Suddenly—
Her phone vibrated again.
DING.
Another message appeared.
Back door. Left side. NOW.
Lena quickly turned her head.
At the end of the hallway, she saw a small rusty door.
Her chance.
Without thinking, she quietly stepped back and rushed toward it.
But the old floorboards betrayed her.
CREAK.
Ryan stopped instantly.
His voice turned sharp.
"Someone's here."
Lena grabbed the door handle.
It was stuck.
"Come on…" she whispered desperately.
Behind her, footsteps began climbing the stairs.
Ryan was coming.
Her hands trembled as she pulled harder.
The door suddenly burst open.
Cold night air rushed in.
Lena ran.
She didn't look back.
Her footsteps echoed through the empty street as she sprinted as fast as she could.
Her lungs burned.
Her heart felt like it would explode.
Behind her, she heard the basement door slam open.
Ryan's voice shouted in the distance.
"HEY!"
Fear shot through her body.
She ran faster.
Her phone vibrated again in her hand.
Another message.
But she didn't stop to read it.
She kept running through dark streets and empty alleys.
Finally, after several minutes, she slowed down near a quiet park.
Her breathing was heavy.
Her legs felt weak.
She looked around.
No one was chasing her.
For now, she was safe.
Lena leaned against a tree and finally looked at her phone.
The new message made her heart sink.
Now you see who he really is.
Her hands shook as she typed.
Lena:
What is he doing? Who are those men?
The reply came slowly.
The same thing he was doing the night you died.
Lena felt cold all over.
Her fingers trembled again.
Lena:
What happened that night?
For a long moment, the phone stayed silent.
Then the next message appeared.
You followed him just like tonight.
Another message came.
But that time… he caught you.
Lena's chest tightened.
The memory of the bridge flashed again in her mind.
Rain.
Wind.
A shadow falling into the dark river.
Her breathing became uneven.
Another message appeared.
And once he realizes you know the truth…
Lena stared at the screen, terrified to read the next words.
Then the final message arrived.
He will try to kill you again.