CHAPTER 3 — The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
"Nobody move."
Daniel's voice cut through the silence.
The mechanical announcement echoed one more time.
"Restricted room accessed."
Then...
Nothing.
The mansion became eerily quiet.
Even the grandfather clock in the hallway seemed louder than usual.
Veronica swallowed hard.
"This has to be a system error."
Daniel ignored her.
He turned to one of the maids.
"Take my mother upstairs. Lock yourselves inside the guest room. Don't come out until I tell you."
The young woman nodded, helping Eleanor to her feet.
As they reached the staircase, Eleanor suddenly grabbed Daniel's wrist.
Her frail fingers shook violently.
"No..."
Her voice was barely audible.
"Don't go into that room."
Daniel frowned.
"Why?"
Tears welled in Eleanor's eyes.
"Because... that's exactly what he wanted."
Daniel's heartbeat quickened.
"He?"
Before she could answer, Veronica interrupted.
"Daniel, your mother is confused. She's frightened. Let me call the doctor."
For the first time, Daniel looked directly at his wife.
His eyes were empty.
"I didn't ask you to speak."
Veronica instinctively took a step back.
She had never seen her husband look at her like this.
Not with anger.
Not with hatred.
With complete distrust.
Daniel climbed the grand staircase.
Each step echoed through the mansion.
The study door stood half open.
That alone was impossible.
He had personally locked it after his father's funeral.
No one had entered in two years.
Slowly...
He pushed the door wider.
The room looked untouched.
Dust covered the bookshelves.
The fireplace was cold.
His father's leather chair still faced the window.
Everything appeared exactly as it had the day his father died.
Then Daniel noticed something strange.
A single desk drawer was open.
He was certain it had been locked.
Inside lay an old cassette recorder.
Its red indicator light blinked once.
Someone had pressed PLAY only moments earlier.
Daniel picked it up.
Static crackled through the tiny speaker.
Then his father's unmistakable voice filled the room.
"Daniel... if you're hearing this, it means I failed to protect our family."
Daniel froze.
The recording continued.
"Don't trust appearances. The greatest threat was never outside this house..."
A burst of static interrupted the message.
Then another voice entered the recording.
A man.
Calm.
Low.
Cold.
"I told you he'd find the tape eventually."
Daniel's blood ran cold.
He knew that voice.
Impossible.
The man had died five years ago.
He had attended the funeral himself.
His father's breathing became frantic on the recording.
"If he's still alive... then everything you've believed is a lie. Find the basement before—"
The tape suddenly stopped.
Silence.
Daniel pressed the play button again.
Nothing.
The batteries were dead.
At that exact moment...
A floorboard creaked behind him.
He spun around.
The study was empty.
Or so it seemed.
Then, reflected in the dark glass of the window...
He saw the silhouette of a man standing behind the bookcase.
Daniel turned instantly.
No one.
The bookshelf stood perfectly still.
His breathing grew heavier.
He stepped closer.
One book was sticking out farther than the others.
He pulled it.
A deep mechanical click echoed through the room.
The entire bookshelf slowly slid sideways.
Behind it...
A narrow stone staircase descended into darkness.
Cold air rushed upward, carrying the smell of damp earth.
But that wasn't what made Daniel stop breathing.
On the first stone step...
Someone had left a fresh footprint.
The mud was still wet.
Meaning only one thing.
May you like
Someone had entered the hidden basement...
Just minutes earlier.
