Chapter 22
The storm had passed, but the echoes of the past still howled inside Subey's mind. The rooftop fight with John had been brutal, yet it was far from the end. The scars weren't just physical—his mind was a battlefield, haunted by the truth he had been forced to bury. Caroline's confrontation had left a deeper wound than any of John's strikes. And now, sitting alone in his dimly lit apartment, he realized something terrifying—he had made a mistake. A colossal, irreversible mistake.
Scattered across his table were old case files, newspaper clippings, and faded photographs. He had spent years unraveling mysteries, but this time, he was entangled in one himself. A name kept surfacing again and again—Mia. The sister he had once believed was lost forever. But she wasn't gone. She was here, lurking in the shadows, manipulating everything. And worse… she wasn't alone.
Subey ran a trembling hand through his hair. He had pieced together a terrifying possibility—Caroline had been manipulated, and so had he. John wasn't the mastermind. He was a pawn, just like the rest of them. And now, Subey realized the blunder he had made.
Somewhere in this mess, he had missed a crucial detail.
And someone was going to die because of it.
---
The Ghosts of the Past
Subey retraced his steps, sifting through his memories like an old detective scanning a crime scene. The fight on the rooftop had been meant to be the final confrontation. He had seen the fury in John's eyes, the desperate struggle to overpower him. But why? Why had John fought like a man possessed, like someone trying to prove something?
It didn't add up.
John had been the villain of the story, but now, Subey was starting to doubt everything.
He picked up an old photograph—one he had hidden away for years. It was a picture of him and Mia, back when they were just kids. Back before everything went to hell. She had been smiling, her arm draped around his shoulder, as if she had never known the darkness that would one day consume her.
And yet, she had become something else.
Subey's fingers tightened around the edges of the photo.
Mia was playing a dangerous game.
And he had fallen right into her trap.
---
A Call That Changed Everything
His phone buzzed. Subey reached for it with hesitation, his instincts warning him before he even saw the caller ID. It was an unknown number, but he already knew who it would be.
He answered.
"Subey." The voice was calm, almost amused.
"Mia," he said, his voice steady despite the storm raging inside him.
"I was wondering when you'd figure it out."
Subey exhaled, gripping the phone tighter. "You planned this, didn't you?"
A soft chuckle. "Oh, brother, you have no idea how deep this goes."
"Caroline—"
"She was never meant to be part of this." Mia's tone turned cold. "But she made a mistake, just like you did."
His stomach twisted. "What did you do?"
A pause.
Then, Mia whispered, "You should check the news."
The call disconnected.
Subey's heart pounded as he grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. The screen flickered before settling on a news anchor standing outside a familiar hotel. The headline sent ice through his veins.
BREAKING NEWS: WOMAN FOUND DEAD IN HOTEL ROOM.
The image of the building sent him crashing back to a moment he had tried to forget. The same hotel. The same floor. The same room where John had taken Caroline.
"No…"
The reporter continued, "The victim, identified as Caroline—"
Subey didn't hear the rest. He was already out the door.
---
The Hotel of Horrors
Subey drove recklessly through the wet streets, his mind racing faster than his car. The city lights blurred past him, but he barely noticed. He had to get there. He had to see it with his own eyes.
When he arrived, the place was swarming with cops. Yellow tape sealed off the entrance, and officers guarded the perimeter. Subey flashed his old badge—one he hadn't used in years—but it was enough to get him through.
The moment he stepped inside, the weight of the past slammed into him.
Room 306.
The room where John had killed Caroline. The room where Subey had hidden the truth.
Now, someone else was dead there.
A detective approached him. "Subey? Didn't expect to see you here."
"I need to see the body." His voice was hoarse.
The detective hesitated, then nodded. "Follow me."
They walked in silence down the dimly lit hallway. Subey's chest tightened with every step. Then, the door to Room 306 swung open.
Inside, the scene was eerily familiar—except for one thing.
The woman on the bed wasn't Caroline.
Subey staggered back, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.
It wasn't Caroline.
It was Mia.
---
A Twist Too Late
Subey felt the world tilt beneath him. He had expected many things, but this—this was impossible. Mia couldn't be dead. She had just called him. She had just spoken to him.
The detective frowned. "Something wrong?"
Subey swallowed hard. "When was she found?"
"An hour ago."
His blood ran cold.
An hour ago.
But he had spoken to Mia less than twenty minutes ago.
Which meant…
The call hadn't come from Mia.
It had come from someone else.
Someone who wanted him to be here.
Someone who had been watching his every move.
His hands clenched into fists as realization crashed over him.
John.
John had played them all.
---
The Final Betrayal
As Subey stood there, staring at Mia's lifeless body, his mind raced through every interaction, every conversation. The blunder wasn't just his—it was all of theirs. They had underestimated John.
He wasn't just a pawn.
He was the one pulling the strings.
And he was still out there.
Subey turned on his heel and stormed out of the room, his heart hammering against his ribs. He didn't care about the cops. He didn't care about the questions. There was only one thing that mattered now.
Finding John.
And finishing this once and for all.
But as he reached his car, his phone buzzed again.
Another unknown number.
He answered.
"Subey," John's voice was smooth, calm. "I see you found my little gift."
Subey's fingers tightened around the phone. "You killed her."
A pause. Then, a soft laugh.
"Oh, Subey… I think you know the truth by now."
Subey's breath caught.
No.
It couldn't be.
John chuckled again, his voice dripping with amusement. "You should've checked the body more closely."
The call disconnected.
Subey's pulse roared in his ears as he turned back toward the hotel. He rushed past the officers, back into Room 306. The detective called after him, but he didn't stop.
He reached the bed, his hands trembling as he pulled back the sheet.
And then, his world shattered.
Because it wasn't Mia's body lying there.
It was Caroline.
Alive.
Eyes open.
And staring right at him.
---
To be continued…