AUTHOR
The number on the screen freezes.
00:00:01
It doesn't tick over to zero. It doesn't vanish in a blaze of digital glory. It just sits there, a silent, mocking red numeral one.
Shuya stares. His pleasant smile falters, replaced by a flicker of pure, uncomprehending confusion. His head cocks to the side like a bird.
This isn't right. His eyes dart from the phone to the perfectly still, silent facade of the main house. No tremor. No sound of shattering glass. Nothing.
A cold knot of understanding begins to form in his gut. It's a trap.
His first instinct is communication. He fumbles with his phone, thumb jabbing at Akane's contact. The call doesn't even connect. A single, harsh tone sounds before the line goes dead. No signal.
The silence of the estate is suddenly broken, not by an explosion, but by a series of precise, mechanical sounds.
Click-CLACK. Click-CLACK.
