Chapter 41
Kai forgot to breathe.
The rain-soaked video filled his phone screen, its pale glow washing across his face while the rest of the apartment remained swallowed by darkness. At first glance, it looked ordinary—just shaky footage recorded from inside a parked car across the street. Raindrops clung to the windshield, catching the orange glow of the streetlights. Cars drifted through the intersection in lazy streams of white and red, their reflections stretching across the wet pavement.
Nothing about it should have been alarming.
Except for the timestamp.
Tomorrow — 11:42 PM
His heartbeat stumbled.
"...That’s impossible."
Nobody answered.
Not immediately.
Even the chat seemed stunned. For nearly two full seconds, the endless waterfall of messages slowed to a trickle of question marks and confused reactions.
Then everything exploded.
PixelBandit89:
WAIT TOMORROW???
CatTaxCollector:
BRO GOT THE EARLY ACCESS DLC
ExpiredMilkFan:
IS THIS A PRANK
CoffeePoweredRat:
SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS EDITED
Kai wished someone would.
Instead, he watched as the footage continued.
The camera never wavered. Whoever had recorded it wasn’t pacing or hiding. They were simply sitting inside the vehicle, patiently watching the entrance to his apartment building.
Cars passed.
A delivery driver crossed the sidewalk carrying insulated bags.
Someone walked a tiny dog wearing a bright yellow raincoat.
The scene was so painfully normal that it somehow became disturbing.
Then the apartment door opened.
Kai stepped outside.
His own body appeared on the screen.
Same hoodie.
Same sneakers.
Even the faded coffee stain near the front pocket was visible.
He looked exhausted.
Exactly like he looked every day lately.
"...No."
The whisper escaped before he realized he’d spoken aloud.
"That’s me."
Luna stayed quiet for a moment before asking gently,
"What are you seeing?"
He swallowed.
"A video."
"I know."
"It has..." His voice caught. "...me."
Another brief silence.
Then she asked quietly,
"Doing what?"
"I’m leaving the building."
His eyes never left the screen.
Video-Kai shoved both hands into his hoodie pocket and started walking down the sidewalk.
The camera followed.
Not by moving.
By zooming.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Patiently.
Like someone terrified of letting their prey disappear.
Kai felt his stomach tighten.
"I don’t like this."
"I know."
"I really don’t like this."
"I know."
Normally, hearing the same response twice would have irritated him.
Tonight it did the opposite.
Every answer reminded him someone else was here.
Someone else was witnessing this impossible nightmare with him.
The video continued.
Video-Kai reached the corner of the block.
Then stopped.
His head slowly turned.
He looked directly toward the parked car.
Kai frowned.
"...Why am I looking at the camera?"
The image froze.
One perfect frame.
His own face filled the screen.
Not frightened.
Not suspicious.
Just...
Tired.
Then the footage resumed.
Video-Kai smiled.
Slowly.
It was painfully familiar.
The awkward little smile he always made whenever chat surprised him.
The same smile he’d worn earlier after Luna made him laugh.
Only this time...
Video-Kai lifted a hand.
And waved.
Directly at the camera.
Kai’s blood turned cold.
"I never did that."
Rain tapped softly against his apartment windows.
The sound suddenly seemed much louder than before.
The video faded to black.
Three words appeared across the screen.
You already know.
The file closed by itself.
Kai lowered the phone.
His hand was shaking hard enough that the flashlight beam danced wildly across the hallway wall.
"What does that even mean?"
He wasn’t sure who he was asking.
Luna answered anyway.
"I don’t know."
For the first time that night...
She sounded genuinely uncertain.
Not hiding something.
Not thinking three steps ahead.
Not carefully choosing her words.
She simply didn’t know.
Oddly enough, that comforted him.
If even Luna couldn’t explain what he’d just seen...
Maybe he wasn’t missing something obvious.
Maybe this really was impossible.
His phone vibrated again.
Another text from Derek.
Derek:Tell me exactly what happened. Don’t summarize. Everything.
Kai stared at the message.
Only a few hours ago Derek had been the sarcastic rival streamer throwing absurd donations into his chat.
Now he sounded...
Concerned.
Like someone genuinely trying to help.
The internet really did rewrite relationships at terrifying speeds.
"You can tell him."
Luna spoke quietly.
Kai blinked.
"You don’t mind?"
"If someone else can help keep you safe..."
She hesitated just long enough for him to notice.
"...then I don’t mind."
There wasn’t a hint of jealousy in her voice.
No bitterness.
No hidden accusation.
Just honest concern.
His chest tightened.
He hated how easily she did that.
One sentence.
That was all it took.
One sentence, and suddenly she wasn’t the mysterious girl who somehow knew far too much about his life.
She was just someone worried about him.
That was becoming dangerous.
Not because she was manipulating him.
Because he wanted to believe her.
A sharp metallic knock echoed somewhere beyond his apartment.
Three quick raps.
Not from his front door.
Somewhere farther away.
Maybe the building stairwell.
Maybe another floor.
Kai still flinched.
"So..."
He forced out a weak smile.
"I officially hate every sound."
"Understandable."
"I used to think my upstairs neighbor dropping dumbbells at two in the morning was the worst noise imaginable."
"And now?"
"Now I’d personally fund his gym membership."
A tiny laugh escaped Luna before she could stop it.
"So would I."
For a few precious seconds...
Things almost felt normal.
Not because anything had improved.
But because they shared the moment together.
Then the hidden phone beneath the hallway table lit up again.
No ringtone.
No vibration.
Only the screen, glowing brightly beneath the wood.
Kai slowly crouched, careful not to get too close.
This time there wasn’t another call.
There wasn’t a message.
Just a photograph.
His pulse hammered.
The picture showed...
His apartment.
The living room.
His streaming desk.
The couch.
The kitchen entrance.
The angle made no sense.
It had been taken from high above, looking down across nearly the entire room.
Kai’s eyes instinctively lifted toward the ceiling.
His flashlight swept across the white paint.
Across the smoke detector.
Across the air vent.
Then—
There.
Near the corner where two walls met.
So small he almost missed it.
A tiny green light blinked once.
Then disappeared.
Kai’s stomach dropped.
Someone...
Had been watching from inside the apartment all along.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter
