( ARC 2 PH 2 :Questioner )
Anie couldn't sleep that night,paper was still in her pocket,
"You are not being hunted alone."
She knew it wasn't a threat.But it wasn't reassurance either It was a declaration.
The next day at college felt entirely normal.And that was the problem,
white van was gone,CCTV hadn't turned,library door was in place,relocation had been completed.
"Today you're calm."
"Yes," Anie replied.
"That's why I'm scared," Mira laughed.
Anie didn't,
Calm often precedes a storm.
(Hunters' surveillance),
"External variable active again."screens lit up.
"Two blind spots created,No visual trace."
"Is it her?"
"No. Pattern mismatch." long pause,
"Then we are being observed."
words added weight to the room.Hunters were unfamiliar with being hunted themselves.
Anie climbed to the college rooftop, without knowing why.She felt the wind here was more honest.Below, the city unfolded.Lights glimmered,Vehicles moved,Life seemed normal.
But she knew,,
Normality was the greatest disguise.
wind picked up she turned he was there.Not close,maintaining distance,
Hands in his jacket pockets.wind moved his hair slightly he looked Into her eyes.
No emotion,no anger,no compassion,
No love.face was like a book she couldn't read.
question rose in her throat:"Who are you?"
But she didn't voice it.Because asking would mean following him.she wasn't following,She acknowledged You are real.Even the smallest change in his eyes didn't occur.Yet he saw that she was not afraid.
"Spike detected."
"Location?"
"College sector. Rooftop zone."
"Deploy?"
"Negative. We don't move blindly."
screen dimmed for a moment,
Static,,"Signal distortion again."
wind grew stronger,,he took a step back.She didn't move,he merged with the shadows.
No running,no sudden move.As if he had been there and suddenly wasn't.she remained a moment heartbeat normal.Not afraid,But one word illuminated inside her,
"Stabilization.",Now she had no doubts.
On her way down,her phone vibrated.
Unknown number,
A single message:"Visual not confirmed."
stopped,,
This wasn't him,this was Hunters.They were observing her.
Yet she smiled,
Because they hadn't seen him,but she had.That night, on the Hunters' console, a new note appeared:
"External variable Direct proximity suspected.Subject reaction: Stable."
It unsettled them further,she looked out the window city was calm.This fight was no longer a hunt against a single person It was a war of observation.
She closed her eyes this time, she didn't ask.Instead, she said ,
"I'm ready."
On another rooftop, a shadow stood silently.
This time he didn't turn.