Uche let out a long, relieved sigh the moment Mira left the room.
"Finally, I can sleep in peace."
He muttered, rubbing his tired eyes. He dragged himself off the couch, heading towards the door to lock it for the night. But just as his hand touched the doorknob, a sudden realization hit him. His eyes widened in disbelief.
"Wait, damn it! She didn't tell me the new combination."
Mira had mentioned she'd tampered with the combination to his door lock earlier, but in the chaos of their day, Uche had completely forgotten to ask her what the new code was. Panic briefly coursed through him, and he hovered his hand over the keypad, trying to remember anything that might help.
"What the hell do I do now?"
He mumbled, tapping the screen with frustration.
That's when he noticed it—there was no combination anymore. She hadn't set a new code at all. In fact, Mira had removed the lock entirely, leaving it completely unsecured.
"That crazy woman,"
Uche sneered.
"She left my house wide open."
He shook his head in disbelief, muttering to himself as he locked the door manually. Then, exhaustion overcame him, and he staggered back to bed. His body ached from sleepless nights.
Ever since he started sharing visions with that cursed psychopath Snowflake, rest had been elusive. His dreams were haunted by violence—blood, screams, and flashes of faces that were not his own.
But this time, sleep felt different. He hadn't slept through the night, but the short nap he managed left him feeling oddly refreshed, as though some invisible weight had been lifted from his chest.
He slept for almost 6 hours, only waking up in the evening.
Yawning, Uche stretched his stiff muscles, his joints cracking in the process. He grabbed his phone to check the time, hoping it was still early enough to relax.
That's when he noticed countless missed calls on his phone.
"Huh? Who's calling me?"
He muttered, squinting at the screen.
His heart skipped a beat. A long list of missed calls stared back at him—twenty-four calls, all from a single unknown numbe, just a few minutes ago, too. He scrolled further and saw there was also a voicemail waiting for him.
"This doesn't make sense."
Uche didn't receive calls often—he wasn't exactly social. In fact, apart from Mr. Kim, his boss, no one ever called him. The sheer volume of calls from an unknown number unsettled him.
"Could it be... Snowflake?"
The name chilled him to the bone. Could the deranged killer have somehow gotten his number?
With a mix of fear and suspicion, Uche played the voicemail.
The message began with Mira's voice—urgent and strained.
"Hey, idiot, wake up. The cops are on your doorstep. I'm too far away to get there in time, so just cooperate. Don't fight them, no matter what—if they find out what you are, things will get ugly, and it'll be harder for me to help you. Just follow their lead.
"I'm not sure if they're coming to interrogate you or arrest you, but they've sent a full squad—seven vans, heavily armed. Whatever happens, I'll find a way to get you out. Just hold tight.
Anyway, I hope you aren't listening to this too late."
The voicemail ended.
Uche stared at the phone in disbelief, Mira's words echoing in his mind. He knew that voice too well—he had become familiar with it just yesterday. It was unmistakably hers. But something else gnawed at him.
"How the hell does she have my number?"
He whispered, frowning. He couldn't recall ever exchanging contact information with Mira. He hadn't even thought to ask her.
But now wasn't the time to dwell on that mystery. He had bigger problems to deal with.
"Cops? What the hell do they want with me?"
He muttered under his breath, pacing the room.
"Do they think I'm Snowflake? How did they even find me?"
Anxiety gnawed at him as a dozen questions raced through his mind, each one more troubling than the last. Mira's warning about surrendering didn't sit well with him. Giving up without a fight didn't feel right.
"I didn't do anything wrong,"
Uche whispered fiercely.
"Why the hell should I just roll over?"
Still, something in Mira's tone made him hesitate. She sounded serious—frightened, even—and if she thought fighting back was a bad idea, maybe she knew something he didn't.
"Dammit,"
He muttered, dragging a hand through his hair.
He rushed toward the front door, peeking through the peephole camera to see what was happening outside. What he saw made his blood run cold.
A convoy of white vans had pulled up in front of his building, their tires crunching against the pavement. Men in black tactical gear poured out of the vehicles like a swarm of locusts, moving with chilling precision. Rifles were slung across their chests, and several were carrying heavy equipment that looked far more dangerous than anything used in routine arrests.
"Holy... this is a damn invasion,"
Uche muttered, heart pounding in his chest. He spotted snipers positioning themselves on nearby rooftops and officers taking cover behind parked cars, all with weapons trained on his building.
"They really think I'm Snowflake,"
Uche whispered, the horrifying realization dawning on him.
Panic swelled in his chest. Even with his enhanced healing abilities, there was no way he could survive a full-blown assault like this. Missiles, snipers, a tactical squad—he'd be dead before he even stepped outside.
Now he understand why Mira had said not to fight.
"Damn it. I need a plan. Fast."
He darted back to his bedroom, trying to think of a way out. Escaping seemed impossible—every exit was covered. Fighting would be suicide. But surrendering? That left a bitter taste in his mouth.
As he peeked out the window, he spotted a sniper crouched near a street bin. The sniper's rifle was pointed directly at Uche's window. The moment their eyes met, Uche knew he'd been spotted.
"Shit."
The sniper placed a finger to his earpiece, lips moving as he spoke into his radio. Uche could just make out the words.
"Sniper 3: Snowflake spotted near the window close to the street. Requesting permission to engage."
"*F*ck*,"
Uche cursed under his breath, diving away from the window just in time.
---
Outside, Sergeant Kim stood at the foot of Uche's building, his expression grim. Beside him, Inspector Ray wore a smug grin, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Are we finally nabbing Snowflake?"
Inspector Ray asked, his grin widening.
"Man, I've been waiting to kick that psycho's ass for months. Can't believe the bastard was hiding right under our noses."
Sergeant Kim gave him a sidelong glance, his voice calm but stern.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. We don't even know if it's really him. The tip-off came from an anonymous source. If this guy isn't Snowflake, you know we'll be in deep shit for kicking down his door without a warrant."
"Who cares about that?"
Ray sneered.
"The law didn't stop Snowflake from butchering people, did it? We'll find something on this guy—just wait."
At that moment, Kim's radio crackled to life.
"Sniper 3: Snowflake spotted near the window close to the street. Requesting permission to shoot."
Kim's jaw tightened. He brought the radio to his mouth and replied firmly.
Negative. Do not engage. We're breaching through the front door. Hold your fire."
He turned toward the drilling team working on the door. The screeching sound of metal against metal filled the air as they prepared to force their way inside.
---
Back inside the apartment, Uche felt the walls closing in around him. His mind raced, desperately trying to come up with a plan. He could hear the faint sound of drills grinding against his front door, growing louder by the second.
"Damn it, Mira,"
Uche muttered under his breath, his heart pounding in his chest.
He had no weapons, no way out, and the only person who usually bailed him out of tight spots had just told him to surrender. He clenched his fists, frustration boiling inside him.
But he knew Mira was right—there was no way out of this one, and she had claimed that she'll come and save him.
Still, Uche was still doubting her, what if she was the one who set him up, what if it was Mira that called the cops.
"No... she had no reason to do that."
He disregard the thought and reassured himself, his only hope now is on Mira.
"Okay, fine," Uche whispered to himself, standing up and taking a deep breath. "Let's see how this plays out."
He walked toward the door, each step heavier than the last. His heart thudded loudly in his chest, but his mind was clear.