Episode 5-Game Is Not Over
685 Words
Ravi was laughing.
Not normal laughing.
Cold… slow… confident.
I didn’t understand.
The upload was complete.
Everything was exposed.
Then why…
Why was he still smiling?
“You think it’s over?” Ravi asked.
My heart started beating faster.
“All the data is out,” I said.
Ravi shook his head slowly.
“No,” he said.
“Only what he wanted is out.”
I frowned.
What does that mean?
Before I could think—
My laptop screen turned on again.
Automatically.
A new video started.
Karthik.
But this time…
His face looked different.
Calm.
Not scared.
"If you are watching this… it means phase one is complete."
Phase one?
My mind went blank.
"You are thinking you won. But this was never about just exposing them."
Ravi’s smile grew wider.
"This is much bigger."
My breathing got heavy.
"The people Ravi works for… they don’t get caught so easily."
Silence filled the room.
"Even if data leaks… they erase it."
Ravi folded his hands.
Listening carefully.
"So I created something they can’t erase."
I stepped closer to the laptop.
What did he do?
"I didn’t just collect evidence."
Pause.
"I copied their system."
My eyes widened.
Copied… system?
"Every file. Every record. Every secret."
Ravi’s expression changed slightly.
For the first time…
He looked serious.
"And I didn’t keep it in one place."
Silence.
"It’s inside a network. Hidden. Split. Protected."
My heart was racing.
"And the key to that network…"
Karthik looked directly into the camera.
"…is YOU."
Everything went silent.
Me?
Again?
I stepped back slowly.
“No…” I whispered.
Ravi turned towards me.
His eyes sharp now.
“What is he talking about?” he asked.
I didn’t answer.
Because I didn’t know.
"You don’t remember… but you were already part of this," Karthik said.
My head started hurting.
"Years ago… after your father’s death…"
Flashes.
Something… something I couldn’t clearly remember.
Hospital.
People talking.
Someone saying—
"He won’t remember anything."
I held my head.
“What is this…” I said.
Karthik continued—
"They tried to remove everything from your memory."
My breathing became heavy.
"But they failed completely."
Ravi stepped closer.
“Stop this,” he said angrily.
But the video didn’t stop.
"Your brain still holds a part of the key."
My legs felt weak.
"That’s why they didn’t kill you."
Ravi grabbed my shirt.
“What key?” he shouted.
I looked at him.
“I don’t know!” I said.
And it was true.
But deep inside…
Something felt wrong.
Like I was forgetting something important.
Suddenly—
The lights flickered.
Again.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
Complete darkness.
This time… no emergency light.
Nothing.
Pitch black.
Someone moved.
I heard a whisper.
Very close.
“Do you remember now?”
I froze.
That voice…
It was not Ravi.
It was…
Karthik.
My heart stopped.
“No… this is not possible,” I whispered.
Ravi shouted—
“Who’s there?!”
No answer.
Then suddenly—
The laptop screen turned on again.
Only light in the room.
And in that light…
I saw something.
A shadow.
Standing behind Ravi.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
It moved closer to him.
Ravi didn’t notice.
I couldn’t speak.
My throat was dry.
The shadow leaned near his ear.
And whispered something.
Ravi froze.
His face changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
He slowly turned back.
But there was no one.
Nothing.
Just empty darkness.
He stepped back.
Breathing fast now.
“This is not possible…” he said.
For the first time…
He was scared.
Then suddenly—
My phone vibrated.
I looked at it.
New message.
From Karthik.
My hands were shaking.
I opened it.
“Memory unlock starting…”
My head started spinning.
Pain.
Sharp pain.
Flashes again.
Voices.
Data.
Screens.
Codes.
I fell to my knees.
Something inside me was opening.
Something I forgot.
Something dangerous.
Ravi looked at me.
“What is happening to you?” he asked.
I slowly looked up.
This time…
I smiled.
Because now…
I remembered something.
Not everything.
But enough.
And that was more dangerous than anything.
(…to be continued)
- Writer
