"Secrets always choose the night to start speaking."
Night fell slowly, shrouding the Wijaya Kusumawardhani family home in a silence that felt strange.
The garden lights cast a soft yellow glow, while the night wind drifted gently through the trees, stirring the leaves into a faint rustling sound. From the outside, the grand house appeared utterly peaceful.
But...
Behind one of its windows, someone was completely incapable of feeling that peace.
Tania Geisha Kusumawardhani was still awake in her room.
Ever since returning from the security room several hours earlier, her mind had never truly settled.
Her body was in a warm, comfortable room.
But her thoughts...
Were still trapped in front of the CCTV screen.
She still remembered with perfect clarity how the footage showed her standing alone in the garden.
Even though...
She was certain she had spoken with Nicholas for quite some time.
She remembered the man's faint smile.
His calm blue eyes.
His gentle voice.
Even every sentence they had exchanged still echoed vividly in her mind.
It had all felt real.
Far too real to be called a hallucination.
And yet the camera...
Had not captured Nicholas's presence at all.
Tania sat on her bed, hugging her knees.
An open novel rested on her lap.
The same page had been open for fifteen minutes.
She had not even realized she had read the first sentence over and over without truly understanding it.
Her gaze was empty.
Her thoughts kept circling the same question.
"Who exactly is Nicholas?"
Slowly, Tania closed the novel.
She set it beside her pillow, then rubbed her left temple, which was still slightly sore from the impact during the accident.
The pain reminded her of the night when everything had begun.
In a whispered voice that was almost inaudible, she murmured,
"If he's really human..." Tania spoke with a long sigh. Her fingers gently brushed the small bandage on her temple. "...then why can't the camera record him?"
There was no answer.
Only the silence of the room kept her company.
Tania stared at the ceiling for a while.
Then she forced a faint smile at herself.
"Maybe..." she murmured softly, trying to sound convincing even though her heart still doubted it. "...the CCTV really was broken."
The words sounded more like an attempt to calm herself than a conclusion.
She knew the explanation sounded weak.
But for now...
It was the only explanation she could accept.
Outside the window, the moon shone dimly behind the clouds.
The clock hands slowly moved toward eleven.
The exhaustion she had held off since afternoon began to take over her body.
Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
Tania let out a long breath.
"I'll think about it again tomorrow..." she whispered.
She reached for the bedside lamp switch.
Click.
The room instantly went dark.
Only moonlight slipped through the gaps in the curtains, casting soft shadows across the bedroom floor.
Tania lay down on the mattress.
She pulled the blanket up to her chest.
Her eyes slowly closed.
It did not take long...
Her consciousness began to sink.
Fog.
Everywhere, there was only thick white fog.
The air felt cold against her skin.
Tania stood alone in the middle of an unfamiliar mountain road that, strangely, also felt very familiar.
She looked around.
The tall trees appeared only as vague shadows behind the fog.
The sky was gray.
There was no birdsong.
No sound of vehicles.
Only a cold breeze drifting slowly past.
Tania shivered.
She hugged her arms.
"Nicholas?" she called softly.
Her voice echoed faintly through the fog.
There was no answer.
She turned to the right again.
Then to the left.
Still nothing.
Unease began to creep into her chest.
With careful steps, she walked along the rocky road.
The fog slowly shifted.
A few yards ahead of her...
The silhouette of someone appeared.
A tall figure.
A long black coat.
Black hair.
Tania's heart immediately began to pound.
Her eyes brightened with hope.
"Nicholas!" she called, louder this time as she quickened her pace.
The figure stopped.
Slowly...
He turned around.
The smile that had appeared on Tania's face suddenly vanished.
Her breath caught.
It wasn't him...
It wasn't Nicholas.
The man's face was covered in dried bloodstains.
Blood ran from his temple down across his cheek.
His skin looked pale.
His eyes were empty.
There was no life in them.
Without realizing it, Tania took a step back.
Her body began to tremble.
"Wh... who are you?" she asked in a shaking voice.
The man did not answer immediately.
His lips moved slowly.
As if every word were difficult to say.
At last, he whispered in a hoarse voice that sounded far away,
"Don't..."
He stopped.
He drew a long breath.
Then continued,
"...trust..."
Tania furrowed her brow.
Her heart beat faster and faster.
She forced herself to take several steps closer.
"What?" she asked anxiously. "What do you mean? Don't trust who?"
The man did not answer.
Slowly, he raised his right hand.
With a stiff movement, he pointed behind Tania.
Reflexively,
Tania spun around.
Darkness.
There was nothing there.
White fog still shrouded the mountain road.
"What am I supposed to see?" she asked in confusion.
There was no answer.
She hurriedly turned back around.
But...
The man had vanished.
The fog once again filled the place where he had stood.
As if the terrifying figure had never existed.
Tania's breathing grew labored.
She spun in every direction.
"Hey!" she called out in panic.
"Where are you?"
Silence.
Then...
In the midst of that silence...
A woman's voice could be heard.
Softly.
Very softly.
Like a whisper carried on the wind.
"Help..."
Tania's body instantly went rigid.
She turned to the left.
There was no one there.
The voice came again.
This time, a little clearer.
"Help me..."
The hairs on the back of Tania's neck stood up.
She swallowed.
With her breathing growing uneven, she whispered,
"Who?"
There was no answer.
Instead...
The voice sounded closer.
Clearer.
As if its owner were standing right behind her.
"Tania..."
The gentle voice called her name.
Tania's heart pounded harder.
She slowly turned around.
White fog still shrouded everything.
There was no one there.
But the voice came again.
This time, right beside her ear.
"Tania!"
"Crash!"
Tania jerked awake.
She was breathing hard.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
Cold sweat dampened her temples and the back of her neck.
Several strands of hair clung to her face.
With trembling hands, she held her chest, trying to calm her heartbeat, which felt as if it might leap out of her body.
"That..." she whispered, drawing a long breath. "...was just a dream."
She closed her eyes for a few seconds.
Then slowly opened them again.
Her gaze immediately shifted to the digital clock on the bedside table.
Red numbers glowed on the screen.
"02:37"
It was still far too early.
The room was so quiet that she could clearly hear her own breathing.
Tania slowly rose from the bed.
Her legs still felt weak.
She reached for the glass of water on the table and took several sips.
Her hand was still trembling slightly.
After setting the glass down, she gently rubbed her face.
"Why does it feel..." she murmured, her breathing not yet fully steady. "...so real?"
Before she had a chance to calm down completely...
"Knock..."
Tania froze.
She slowly raised her head.
Her entire body tensed.
Several seconds passed.
Then...
"Knock..."
"Knock..."
Footsteps sounded outside the room.
Slowly.
Rhythmically.
As if someone were walking down the second-floor hallway.
Tania turned toward the bedroom door.
Her eyes widened.
Her breath caught again.
In a voice barely louder than a whisper, she said,
"Who...?"
There was no answer.
Only the footsteps, slowly...
Drawing closer.
The footsteps continued to echo through the second-floor hallway.
"Knock..."
"Knock..."
"Knock..."
Slowly.
Rhythmically.
But every sound seemed closer than the last, as if someone were slowly walking toward Tania's room.
Tania was still standing beside her bed.
She had not yet managed to set down the glass of water in her hand.
Her fingers tightened around it until her knuckles turned white.
She held her breath.
Her unblinking gaze remained fixed on the bedroom door.
"Maybe..." she murmured, trying to control her anxiety. Her lips trembled faintly. "...the security guard is making his rounds."
She tried to convince herself.
A house this large was guarded by security personnel twenty-four hours a day.
There shouldn't be anything strange about it.
And yet...
The footsteps did not sound as though they were moving away.
They were drawing closer.
"Knock..."
"Knock..."
"Knock..."
Now they sounded right outside her bedroom door.
Tania's heart pounded harder.
She swallowed with difficulty.
The room suddenly felt unnaturally silent.
There was no more sound of wind.
No sound from the air conditioner.
Only her own heartbeat and the mysterious footsteps beyond the door.
Then...
Silence.
The footsteps stopped.
Tania stood frozen.
She stared at the doorknob without blinking.
Several seconds passed.
Nothing happened.
Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief—
"Ctek..."
The bedroom light flickered.
The white ceiling light went out for a fraction of a second.
Then came back on.
"Ctek..."
Dark.
"Ctek..."
Light.
"Ctek..."
Dark again.
Tania instinctively stepped back.
Her face went pale.
Her eyes filled with panic.
"Oh my God..." she whispered, hugging herself. Her voice clearly trembled.
The light continued flickering without any pattern.
The shadows in the room shifted with every change between light and darkness.
Every time the room went dark...
Tania's heart felt as if it stopped beating.
And every time the light returned...
She hoped there would be no one standing in front of her.
The air in the room slowly changed.
It grew colder.
A breeze from who knew where swept across the back of her neck.
The hairs on her body rose.
Her breath began to show as thin wisps in the cold night air.
Tania rubbed her arms as goosebumps rose across them.
"Something's wrong..." she murmured. Her fingers clenched tightly without her realizing it. "This isn't normal..."
Before she could think any further—
"Crash!"
The sound of something falling came from the balcony.
Tania flinched.
She turned instinctively.
The white curtain covering the balcony door moved slowly, swaying in the night breeze.
Tania's eyes widened.
Her heart began pounding again.
"But..." she thought.
"I'm sure I locked the balcony door this afternoon."
With extremely cautious steps, she began approaching the balcony.
Every step felt impossibly heavy.
The wooden floor beneath her feet creaked softly.
Her slightly trembling hand slowly reached for the edge of the curtain.
She drew a long breath.
Then...
Slowly pulled the curtain aside.
Her body instantly went rigid.
Outside the balcony...
A man stood in silence.
His long black coat fluttered slowly in the night wind.
His black hair was slightly disheveled.
His face looked much paler than it had when they met in the garden.
His blue eyes were the same.
But this time...
There was no smile.
None of the gentleness that usually soothed Tania's heart.
All that remained was a wary gaze.
And concern.
"Nicholas...?" Tania murmured, her eyes wide. She immediately opened the balcony door a crack. "What... are you doing here?"
Nicholas did not answer right away.
Instead, his gaze swept across the room as if checking to make sure of something.
Then he took one step closer.
The night wind made the edge of his coat flutter softly.
"Tania..." Nicholas spoke in a low voice. His tone sounded heavier than usual.
Seeing the change in his expression, Tania grew tense as well.
"Yes?" she answered softly.
Nicholas looked straight into Tania's eyes.
His gaze was sharp, yet filled with concern.
"Listen to me carefully."
His tone was firm.
It left no room for joking.
Tania gave a small nod.
She could feel the seriousness in every word Nicholas spoke.
"Don't open that door."
Tania furrowed her brow.
She followed Nicholas's gaze toward the bedroom door.
"Which door?" she asked in confusion.
Nicholas answered without looking away.
"The bedroom door."
Tania understood even less.
She looked back at Nicholas.
"Why?" she asked softly. "What's wrong?"
Nicholas did not answer immediately.
He tilted his head slightly.
As if listening to something on the other side of the door.
His expression grew even more serious.
A few seconds later, he whispered,
"There's someone outside."
Tania turned toward the door without thinking.
Her body tensed.
"Who?" she asked, holding her breath.
Nicholas slowly shook his head.
"Don't ask who."
He paused for a moment.
His gaze met Tania's again.
"Whatever happens..." he continued in a firm yet calm tone, "...don't open that door."
The words made Tania's chest feel tight.
She bit her lower lip.
"But..." she said hesitantly. "What if it's Mom? Or one of the house staff?"
Nicholas answered without the slightest hesitation.
"It isn't."
The answer came so quickly.
So certainly.
That Tania held her breath as well.
Silence once again shrouded the room.
Then...
"Knock..."
A knock sounded from behind the door.
Slowly.
Softly.
Tania froze.
A few seconds later...
A woman's voice could be heard.
"Tania..."
The voice was gentle.
Warm.
Entirely familiar.
Tania's heart pounded.
Her eyes widened.
"Mom?" she said instinctively.
Reflexively, she stepped toward the door.
Before her hand could touch the doorknob—
"Tania!"
Nicholas shouted, his voice louder than before.
In one swift movement, he seized Tania's wrist.
Nicholas's fingers felt ice-cold.
Yet that touch was what stopped Tania in her tracks.
Nicholas stared at her with a serious expression.
"Don't."
Only one word.
But it was filled with emphasis.
Tania looked at Nicholas in confusion.
"But..." she said faintly. "That's Mom's voice."
Nicholas slowly shook his head.
His gaze never left Tania's eyes.
"That's not your mother."
His tone was firm.
Without the slightest doubt.
Beyond the door...
The voice came again.
"Tania..."
This time, it sounded gentler.
More pleading.
"Open the door, sweetheart..."
Tania closed her eyes for a moment.
That voice...
It was exactly the same as her mother's.
There was not the slightest difference.
Her hand began to tremble.
She started to waver.
"If that really is Mom..."
"Why is Nicholas stopping me?"
"But..."
"If Nicholas is right..."
"Then who is calling me?"
Silence once again filled the room.
Only Tania's increasingly heavy breathing could be heard.
After a few seconds...
She let out a long breath.
"I have to make sure..." she murmured, stepping toward the door again.
Nicholas tightened his grip slightly around her wrist.
His expression grew even more tense.
But before either of them could speak again...
The voice beyond the door came once more.
This time...
It was different.
"Miss..."
The voice was still calling to her.
But its tone had changed.
Heavier.
Huskier.
More... unfamiliar.
Tania froze.
Cold spread all the way to her fingertips.
Before she could touch the doorknob—
"Crash!"
The bedroom door flew open by itself with an earsplitting bang.
Cold wind immediately rushed into the room.
The light began flickering violently again.
"Ctek!"
Dark.
"Ctek!"
Light.
"Ctek!"
Dark again.
Tania instinctively stumbled back several steps.
Her eyes opened wide.
Her breath caught.
The hallway outside her room...
Was empty.
Her mother was nowhere there.
Neither were any house staff.
There was no one at all.
Only a long hallway illuminated by dim lights.
But...
Tania's gaze slowly dropped to the floor.
Across the polished marble...
Wet footprints appeared.
One after another.
Stretching from outside her bedroom door...
Toward the dark hallway.
As if...
Someone had just been standing there.
And had left seconds before the door opened.
Tania's body went rigid.
Still breathing hard, she slowly lifted her gaze toward Nicholas.
But...
The man was no longer on the balcony.
All that remained was the white curtain swaying gently in the night wind.
While the wet footprints in the hallway...
Slowly faded away...
As if swallowed by the darkness.