Chapter Two:The Devil Has Found His Love
1133 Words
Tessa found the whole thing strangely amusing.
“Maybe he’s just a psycho… some mentally unstable lunatic.”
With a small shrug, she pushed the thought out of her mind.
After finishing another long day, she returned to her small house. Night had already swallowed the neighborhood in silence.
She cooked herself a simple dinner, carried the plate to the living room, and settled in front of the television. Tonight, she planned to enjoy her favorite dark romance movie.
The room was peaceful.
Only the flickering light from the TV danced across the walls.
Just as she lifted another bite to her mouth—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Tessa froze.
Her eyes slowly drifted toward the front door.
“Who’s here at this hour…?”
Setting her fork down, she carefully stood and walked toward the entrance.
Her heartbeat grew louder with every step.
She leaned toward the peephole.
Nothing.
No one was standing outside.
She frowned.
Maybe she had imagined it.
Taking a slow breath, she unlocked the door and cautiously opened it.
The cold night air brushed against her face.
She looked left.
Then right.
Empty.
The entire street was drowned in darkness.
Only the distant sound of crickets echoed through the night.
“…Guess I heard it wrong.”
She smiled awkwardly and turned to go back inside.
Then…
Something beneath the doormat caught her attention.
A folded piece of black paper.
“…What’s this?”
She picked it up.
Again, she scanned the street.
No footsteps.
No shadows.
No sign that anyone had ever been there.
Locking the door behind her, she returned to the couch and unfolded the paper.
Written across it in thick crimson ink were the words—
“The Devil has found his love.”
Tessa stared at the sentence.
Her eyebrows knitted together.
“…What kind of joke is this?”
She snorted, folded the paper again, tossed it onto the coffee table, and returned to her dinner.
Soon, her attention shifted back to the movie.
A grin slowly spread across her lips.
“Oh my God…”
“This movie is getting way too good.”
She laughed softly.
At that exact moment—
Buzz.
Her phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
She opened the message.
Turn off the TV.
Go to your bedroom.
Lock every door and window.
No matter what happens tonight…
Do not open the door.
The smile vanished from her face.
It felt as though her heart had stopped beating.
Every drop of color drained from her skin.
She slowly looked toward every window in the house.
Nothing.
No one.
Yet…
Someone clearly knew exactly what she was doing.
Panic rushed through her body.
She hurried around the house, pulling every curtain shut.
She checked every lock.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Only after making sure everything was secured did she run to her bedroom.
She slammed the door shut.
Locked it.
Turned on the dim red bedside lamp.
Then crawled beneath the blanket, curling into herself.
Her hands trembled.
Her body felt ice cold.
Questions flooded her mind.
Who sent that message?
How did they know I was watching TV?
Who left that paper?
Hours crawled by.
Outside…
Police sirens suddenly tore through the silence.
Then came shouting.
Car doors slamming.
People screaming.
The sounds grew louder and louder until they felt unbearably close.
Tessa pressed a pillow tightly over her ears.
Eventually…
Without even realizing it…
Fear pulled her into an uneasy sleep.
Morning arrived.
Golden sunlight slipped through the curtains.
Tessa slowly opened her eyes.
Her head felt heavy.
Her body ached.
Rubbing her eyes, she walked toward the kitchen.
Everything looked exactly the same.
The novel she had bought yesterday—
Devil’s Love
—still rested on the dining table.
The TV remote remained untouched.
The black paper was still lying where she’d left it.
Even the half-finished dinner plate remained on the coffee table.
She released a long breath.
“Maybe… it was just a terrible night.”
Trying to convince herself, she cleaned her room, got dressed for college, and skipped breakfast as usual.
Yet the questions refused to leave her mind.
Who texted me?
Who left that message?
Why did they warn me?
And how did they know the police were coming?
Still lost in thought, she stepped outside.
Then she stopped.
Three houses away…
The road was blocked with yellow police tape.
Several police vehicles were still parked there.
Her breathing caught.
“Was that where the sirens came from last night…?”
She stared at the sealed house for several seconds before forcing herself to continue toward college.
She slipped in her earphones.
Turned up the volume.
And kept walking.
After arriving at campus, Tessa bought a cup of coffee from the canteen.
She sat alone at a corner table, opened Devil’s Love, and began reading.
The television mounted on the cafeteria wall was broadcasting the morning news.
Most students ignored it.
But suddenly…
A familiar headline echoed through the room.
“Another victim has been claimed by the notorious serial killer.”
Tessa slowly lifted her head.
The news anchor continued.
“The murder took place last night on Holy Road, Block C… at House Number Four.”
Her heart nearly stopped.
House Number Four.
That was…
Three houses away from her own.
Her fingers tightened around the coffee cup.
No…
That couldn’t be…
The reporter continued speaking.
“Investigators are stunned by one disturbing detail. Unlike the killer’s previous murders—where he always left behind his signature bloody smiley face—this time, he wrote a message beside the victim’s body.”
The screen zoomed in on a blurred crime scene photograph.
The anchor read the message aloud.
“The Devil has found his love.”
A heart…
Drawn entirely in blood.
Tessa’s coffee slipped from her trembling hands.
The cup shattered against the floor.
Students turned to stare.
She couldn’t hear them.
She couldn’t breathe.
That sentence…
It was identical.
Exactly the same words written on the black paper left at her doorstep.
Without thinking, she grabbed her phone and rushed toward the library.
The library was almost empty at this hour.
Perfect.
She collapsed into a chair, her breathing uneven.
Should she call the police?
Should she tell them about the note?
But what if they suspected her instead?
What if they arrested her?
Her thoughts spiraled into chaos.
Hands shaking uncontrollably, she opened her phone.
She searched for the mysterious number.
Nothing.
The message was gone.
The number had completely disappeared.
As if it had never existed.
Her eyes widened.
Fear swallowed every ounce of courage she had left.
“What…?”
“What is happening to me?!”
Her scream echoed through the empty library.
And somewhere…
Far beyond the walls of the college…
Someone smiled.
- Writer
