The Mystery of the Last Message

It was 12:47 a.m. The lights in the room were off, and Arian lay on his bed, staring at his phone. Outside, November’s cold wind tapped softly against the windowpane.
Most people were asleep at this hour.
But Arian couldn’t sleep.

Because three days ago, his younger sister, Ana, had mysteriously disappeared.

Ana was only sixteen—cheerful, bright, beloved by everyone. She had gone out saying she was heading to her coaching class… but she never returned.

The police said,
“She probably ran away.”
But Arian knew his sister. She would never do that.

He had searched everywhere—social media, friends’ houses, empty streets.
Nothing.

Suddenly—ding!

Arian’s heart almost stopped.
A notification flashed on the screen:

Message from ANA

His hands trembled as he opened it.

“Brother… help me.”

Just four words.
But those four words turned his world upside down.

He quickly replied—
“Where are you?? What happened??”

No answer.
One minute… two… five…

Then another message appeared—
“Don’t look behind you. Come to the old house on 7th Lane. Alone.”

Arian didn’t waste a second.
The cold night felt heavier than usual as he started his motorbike and sped toward 7th Lane.

7th Lane was one of the oldest parts of the city—abandoned buildings, broken lampposts.
People avoided it at night.
Some even claimed people vanished there.

When Arian reached the old house, a chill crawled down his spine.
The roof was half-collapsed, and the front door hung slightly open.

He switched on his flashlight and stepped inside.

THUD!
The door slammed shut behind him.

“Ana!! Where are you!?”
His voice echoed through the empty house.

No answer.

Then his phone vibrated again—

Message from ANA:
“Come upstairs. There’s no time.”

Arian rushed up the creaking staircase. On the first floor, he saw a half-open door. A shadow flickered inside.

He sprinted in—
“Ana!!”

But the room was empty.
No shadow. Nothing.

Except a broken chair and some writing on the wall.

“TRUST NO ONE”
“HE IS WATCHING”

His phone buzzed again—
“Brother, RUN!”

Arian’s heart froze.
Who was sending these messages?
Where was Ana?
And who was watching him?

Suddenly—footsteps.
Heavy, slow… coming down the stairs.

A tall figure in a black coat, face hidden, holding an old lantern, appeared in the hallway entrance.

Arian held his breath, perfectly still.
The man looked around… then walked downstairs.

Arian slipped out of the room.
But the moment he reached the lower floor, he froze.

More shadows.
Another man. Then another.

Four… maybe five people—all in black.

Who were they?
What did they want with Ana?

His phone buzzed again—
“Brother, hide in the left room.”

Arian dashed into the small room and quietly closed the door.
It was pitch dark—only moonlight filtering through a cracked window.

Then he heard it.

Soft, trembling…
“Brother…”

Arian turned pale.
That was Ana’s voice.

He raised his flashlight.

In the corner—
Ana.

Covered in dust, clothes torn, eyes wide with fear.

Arian rushed to her.
“Ana! Where were you!? What did they do to you!?”

Ana sobbed,
“Brother… they caught me. Something terrible is happening here. They said… they said they’d only let me go if you came…”

Just then—
BAM!

The door burst open.
The masked men flooded the room.

One of them spoke, voice deep and cold—
“You shouldn’t have come here.”

Arian shouted,
“Who are you!? Why did you take my sister!?”

The leader chuckled.

“She told us to.”

Arian’s eyes widened.
“What are you talking about!?”

He pointed at Ana.
“She contacted us long before. She led you here.”

Arian turned to Ana.
She was trembling, unable to look up.

“Ana… is that true?”

Ana whispered through tears,
“Brother… I’m sorry. I tried to escape. They threatened me. They said they’d kill me if you didn’t come. I had no choice…”

The men stepped forward.

Arian grabbed Ana’s hand.
“Run!”

They bolted out of the room.
Down the hallway.
Down the stairs.
Through the broken wall—
Into the night.

The masked men chased them fiercely.

But then—a sound in the distance.

Police sirens.

Arian had already called 999.

The moment the masked men heard the sirens, they scattered into the darkness.

Police arrived and took Arian and Ana to safety.

Seven Days Later

Ana was recovering.
Arian sat beside her, scrolling through her phone.
He wanted to see the messages she had sent that fateful night.

But—

There were no messages.
Not a single one.

No chat history.
No backups.
Nothing on any app.

The inbox was completely empty.

It was as if those messages had never existed.

Arian’s face turned pale.

Ana entered the room softly.
“Brother… that night, I couldn’t even touch my phone. They took it away the moment they captured me.”

Arian slowly looked up.
“Then… who sent me those messages…?”

Ana froze.
Fear flickered across her eyes once more.

“Brother… are you sure… we escaped everyone from that house?”

Suddenly, Arian’s phone vibrated.

A notification popped up.

Message from ANA:
“Brother… I’m still there…”

Arian felt his blood run cold.

The message wasn’t from his sister.

It was from someone else.
Someone still inside that house.
Someone using Ana’s name.

Watching. Waiting.

The nightmare wasn’t over.