Chapter 3: Three Shadows in the Night

Avrila had lost count of how many times she had walked past the grocery shop.

Ten times?

Twenty?

Maybe more.

The roads had become meaningless.

Every turn looked familiar.

Every house looked the same.

Every path led back to where she started.

Her phone now showing 11:17 PM.

No signal.

No messages.

No way home.

The fear she had been suppressing all evening was beginning to overwhelm her.

“Maa…”

Her voice cracked.

At that moment, tears gathered in her eyes.

She missed home.

She missed the safety of  her room.

And she desperately wished she wasn’t alone.

A distant sound suddenly echoed through the darkness.

Tring… Tring…

A bicycle bell.

Avrila froze.

Then another.

Tring…

This time closer.

Three moving lights appeared at the far end of the road.

Her heart pounded.

She couldn’t tell whether to feel relieved or terrified.

The lights approached.

And then she recognized the faces.

Smarth.

Arum.

Matrik.

“What the—”

Smarth almost lost control of his bicycle.

“Avrila?!”

Arum blinked.

“Why are you here?”

“At this hour?” Matrik added.

For a few seconds, nobody spoke.

Then all three boys noticed her expression.

The fear in her eyes.

The exhaustion.

The tears she was trying to hide.

Their expressions immediately changed.

“What happened?” Smarth asked quietly.

 ***

Several minutes later, the four of them sat near a closed tea stall.

Avrila explained everything.

The endless roads.

The looping paths.

The grocery shop.

The strange woman.

The slippers.

The cough.

The mention of  Riku’s father.

The boys listened without interrupting.

When she finally finished—

Silence.

The Arum burst out laughing.

“You seriously expect us to believe that?”

“Arum.”

“What?”

Smarth frowned.

“Look at her.”

Arum immediately stopped smiling.

Because Smarth was right.

Avrila wasn’t joking.

She looked genuinely frightened.

Matrik rubbed his chin.

“Let’s test it.”

For the next hour they rode acorss every road they could find.

North.

South.

East.

West.

Every direction.

Every shortcut.

Every alleyway.

Every single attempt ended the same way.

The grocery shop.

Again.

And again.

And again.

By midnight, none of them were laughing anymore.

“This is impossible.”

Matrik stare at the shop in disbelief.

“We should be kilometers away by now.”

Arum looked pale.

Smarth remained silent.

His eyes fixed on the dark building.

Thinking.

Analyzing.

Observing.

Something about that house bothered him.

Eventually they abandoned the bicycles and continued on foot.

The night had become unnaturally quiet.

No dogs barking.

No passing vehicles.

Nothing.

Only their footsteps.

Crunch…Crunch…Crunch…

The sound echoed across the empty road.

Avrila walked slightly behind the others.

Her legs felt weak from exhaustion.

Suddenly—

She stumbled.

Before she could fall, someone grabbed her wrist.

Strong fingers closed around her hand.

Steadying her.

Avrila looked up.

Smarth.

“You okay?”

His voice was unusually gentle.

“Y-Yeah.”

Only then did he realize he was still holding her hand.

They both froze.

For a brief moment, neither moved.

Neither spoke.

Then Smarth quickly let her go.

A faint redness appeared on his ears.

“Watch where you’re walking.”

Avrila looked away.

“Thanks.”

Arum glanced behind them.

Then smirked.

Matrik immediately elbowed him.

“Don’t.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You were about to.”

“I absolutely was.”

A little later they stopped near an abandoned bus stand.

Everyone was exhausted.

The boys sat down.

Avrila remained standing.

Her eyes fixed on the darkness.

“Why didn’t you stay at the shop?” Smarth suddenlty asked.

She looked at him.

“What?”

“The woman offered you a place to stay.”

“Oh.”

Avrila hesitated.

Then shook her head.

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean?”

She looked down.

“I just felt uncomfortable.”

The boys exchanged glances.

“What kind of uncomfortable?” Matrik asked.

Avrila thought for a moment.

Then spoke quietly.

“The kind that makes you want to leave.”

Nobody laughed this time.

Because all three boys understtod.

Something instincts noticed things before the mind did.

And instincts were rarely wrong.

Several minutes passed.

The other were talking among themselves when Smarth moved beside her.

For a while neither spoke.

Then he said quietly,

“You know…”

Avrila looked at him.

“I’ve seen you before.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“We’re in neighboring schools.”

“Not like that.”

“What do you mean?”

Smarth looked away.

For once, the confident boy seemed nervous.

“I mean… I’ve noticed you.”

Avrila stared.

“What?”

“At school events.”

His voice had become suspiciously quiet.

“Sometimes during competitions.”

Avrila could hardly believe what she was hearing.

“Why?”

Smarth rubbed the back of his neck.

Because he suddenly seemed incapable of looking directly at her.

“Because I wanted to.”

For a moment, the world seemed strangely still.

The darkness.

The endless roads.

The mystery.

Everything faded into the background.

Avrila’s cheeks warmed.

She looked away first.

Neither of them noticed thart Arum and Matrik were staring from a distance.

“Witnessing history,” Arum whispered.

“Shut up,” Matrik whispered back.

A cold wind swept across the road.

The four teenagers immediately turned.

Something had moved.

Near the grocery shop.

A shadow.

Tall.

Motionless.

Watching them.

Nobody spoke.

Nobody moved.

The shadow remained there for several seconds.

Then disappeared behind the house.

Every hair on the back of Avrila’s neck stood on end.

“Did you see that?”

Smarth nodded.

Slowly.

His expression had become serious once more.

The warmth from a few moments ago vanished.

Only suspicion remained.

Because,

No longer were they relying on assumptions—

They had proof.

Someone else was there.

And whoever it was…

Had been watching them.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***