The last signal

chapter 8— THE DECISION

chapter 8— THE DECISION

Leo did not remember much about the walk back from the railway tunnel.

He remembered the road beneath his shoes. He remembered the evening traffic becoming heavier as he approached the city. He remembered passing a woman arguing with a taxi driver about the price of a ride, and for some strange reason, that ordinary argument stayed in his mind longer than everything that had happened underground. The woman was angry about money. The driver was angry about being blamed. Two completely normal people were having a completely normal disagreement, and Leo found himself wondering how peaceful it must be to have problems that made sense.

His own problems had stopped making sense several days ago.

By the time he reached his street, the sky had become dark. He slowed down before approaching the house and stood across the road for a moment, watching it.

There were no cars outside.

No movement behind the windows.

No blue light.

Nothing.

Leo almost laughed at himself. After everything he had seen, he was now standing across the street from his own house like a detective in a cheap movie, waiting for his bedroom window to blink.

He crossed the road.

The front door was unlocked.

That stopped him.

His father always locked it.

Always.

Leo pushed it open slowly.

“Dad?”

No answer.

He stepped inside.

The living room was exactly as he had left it. The television was off. The curtains were closed. A cup sat on the table beside the sofa, and the water inside it was still untouched.

“Dad?”

Nothing.

Leo closed the door behind him.

He checked the kitchen.

Empty.

The hallway.

Empty.

His father's bedroom.

Empty.

For a moment, Leo wondered if his father had left the house.

Then he saw the light beneath the basement door.

Leo stopped.

They did not normally use the basement.

His father had spent years telling him not to go down there, which, in Leo's experience, was one of the most reliable ways to make a teenager eventually go down there.

He approached the door.

The light beneath it disappeared.

Leo frowned.

“Dad?”

Still nothing.

He opened it.

The basement was dark.

He switched on the light.

His father was sitting at the old wooden table.

He looked exhausted.

There were several papers spread in front of him, along with an old laptop and a small black device Leo had never seen before.

His father looked up.

“You went to the tunnel.”

Leo stopped on the stairs.

“How did you know?”

“I know you.”

“That isn't an answer.”

His father leaned back.

“No. It isn't.”

Leo came downstairs.

“You knew about the tunnel.”

His father looked at the papers.

“I knew your mother had been there.”

“You knew there was something inside.”

“I knew there might be.”

“You knew about Elias.”

His father became still.

That was enough.

Leo walked closer.

“I saw him.”

His father's face changed.

For the first time since Leo had started asking questions, he looked genuinely afraid.

“You saw Elias?”

“Yes.”

“Did he see you?”

“I don't know.”

His father stood.

“Did he speak to you?”

“Yes.”

“What did he say?”

Leo stared at him.

“That I should have stayed away from my mother's work.”

His father's jaw tightened.

“Anything else?”

“He said something about answers.”

His father looked down.

Leo noticed his hands.

They were shaking.

“You're scared of him.”

“No.”

“You are.”

His father turned away.

“You don't understand.”

“Then explain it.”

“I can't.”

“You always say that.”

“Because there are things I don't know.”

“And there are things you do know.”

His father didn't answer.

Leo reached for one of the papers on the table.

His father immediately covered it with his hand.

Leo looked at him.

“What is it?”

“Nothing.”

“Then why are you hiding it?”

“Because you're already involved too deeply.”

Leo laughed once.

Not because anything was funny.

“I'm already involved? Dad, somebody has pictures of me sleeping. Someone knows where I go. Someone knows my mother's research. I found a room underneath an abandoned railway tunnel filled with photographs of our family. I think we passed the point where I'm ‘involved.’”

His father stared at him.

“You should go upstairs.”

“No.”

“Leo.”

“No.”

His father sat down again.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then his father slowly pushed one of the papers toward him.

It was a school attendance report.

Leo looked at it.

“What is this?”

“Your school called.”

Leo frowned.

“Why?”

“They noticed you've been absent.”

“So?”

“So you can't keep disappearing.”

Leo looked at him.

“I'm not disappearing.”

His father gave him a tired look.

“You were in a tunnel tonight.”

“That doesn't mean I'm disappearing.”

“You haven't been sleeping properly. You're distracted. You're barely eating. You've stopped talking to people. You've been walking around the city alone. You come home late. You leave without telling anyone where you're going.”

Leo looked at the report again.

“I've got bigger things to worry about.”

“That's exactly the problem.”

His father's voice was quieter now.

“You think the things happening around you mean you have to solve everything immediately. You don't. You're still a kid.”

Leo looked up.

The words irritated him more than they should have.

“I'm not a kid.”

His father sighed.

“You're my son.”

“That isn't the same thing.”

“It is to me.”

Leo looked away.

For a moment, the basement felt strangely ordinary.

No mysterious signals.

No hidden messages.

No strange voices.

Just a father and son arguing over school.

It almost felt comforting.

Then the laptop screen turned on.

Neither of them touched it.

Leo turned.

A black screen appeared.

White letters slowly formed across it.

YOU SHOULD NOT BE HERE.

His father stood immediately.

Leo stared.

The message disappeared.

Another appeared.

HE WILL ASK YOU TO STAY.

Leo looked at his father.

His father's face had gone pale.

“What is that?”

“I don't know.”

“You're lying again.”

“I swear I'm not.”

Another message appeared.

ASK HIM ABOUT TUESDAY.

Leo froze.

“Tuesday?”

His father moved toward the laptop.

The screen went black.

Leo stepped in front of him.

“What happened on Tuesday?”

“Nothing.”

“You just said nothing.”

“Because nothing happened.”

“Then why did it tell me to ask?”

His father looked at him.

“Because whoever is doing this wants you to distrust me.”

Leo thought about it.

That was possible.

But something about the message bothered him.

Not the words.

The timing.

Whoever had sent it knew exactly when Leo would return.

They knew he was in the basement.

They knew his father was there.

They knew what question would hurt the most.

Leo stepped away from the laptop.

“I'm going to school tomorrow.”

His father looked surprised.

“Good.”

“But after that, I'm not sure.”

“Not sure about what?”

Leo didn't answer.

He went upstairs.

That night, he barely slept.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the photograph on the wall.

Himself standing in the tunnel.

A picture taken before he had even reached that point.

He kept thinking about the sentence written beside the door.

YOU WERE NEVER THE ONE BEING WATCHED.

If he wasn't the target, then who was?

The question stayed with him until morning.

When Leo arrived at school, everything felt painfully normal.

Students crowded the entrance. Teachers walked through the corridors carrying books. Someone was running because they were late. Two boys were arguing about football. A teacher shouted at a student for using his phone.

Leo stood among them and felt completely disconnected.

The building suddenly seemed smaller than he remembered.

He walked into his classroom.

Marcus looked up immediately.

“Where were you yesterday?”

Leo dropped his bag beside his chair.

“Out.”

“Out where?”

“Somewhere.”

Marcus stared at him.

“You know, for someone who disappears all the time, you really hate explaining where you go.”

Leo smiled faintly.

“You ask too many questions.”

Marcus's smile disappeared.

“That's not funny.”

Leo realized he was right.

Marcus leaned closer.

“You look terrible.”

“Thanks.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I know.”

Marcus studied him.

“Something happened.”

Leo looked toward the teacher's desk.

“Yeah.”

“What?”

Leo hesitated.

Then he said, “I found something.”

Marcus waited.

Leo shook his head.

“Not here.”

Marcus nodded.

“After school?”

“Maybe.”

Before Marcus could respond, the teacher entered.

Everyone returned to their seats.

Leo tried to pay attention.

He really did.

For ten minutes.

Then the teacher began explaining something about an upcoming assignment, and Leo realized he couldn't remember a single sentence.

His notebook was open.

Instead of taking notes, he found himself drawing the symbol.

17.

He stopped.

He stared at it.

He had drawn it without thinking.

Leo quickly closed the notebook.

The teacher noticed.

“Leo?”

He looked up.

“Yes?”

“Would you like to answer the question?”

The entire class turned toward him.

Leo glanced at the board.

He had no idea what the question was.

A few students laughed.

The teacher waited.

Leo sighed.

“No, sir.”

More laughter.

The teacher shook his head.

“Then perhaps you should pay attention.”

Leo looked down.

“Yes, sir.”

He tried again.

But the classroom seemed distant.

The ticking clock became louder.

The scratching of pens became louder.

Someone coughed.

A chair moved.

Everything felt exaggerated.

Then his phone vibrated inside his pocket.

Leo didn't touch it.

It vibrated again.

He looked at the clock.

10:17.

His stomach tightened.

He waited until the teacher turned around.

Then he checked the screen.

One message.

LOOK AT THE WINDOW.

Leo slowly raised his eyes.

The classroom window looked out over the school courtyard.

Students were walking below.

Nothing unusual.

Then he noticed a man standing near the gate.

Leo stared.

The man was too far away to identify.

He was wearing dark clothes.

Standing completely still.

Leo looked away for a second.

When he looked back, the man was gone.

His phone vibrated again.

HE WASN'T THERE FOR YOU.

Leo stared at the message.

Another arrived.

HE WAS THERE FOR MARCUS.

Leo immediately turned toward Marcus.

Marcus was looking at him.

“What?”

Leo shook his head.

“Nothing.”

Marcus frowned.

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Leo looked toward the window again.

The gate was empty.

But something had changed.

A small white car was parked across the road.

Leo didn't remember seeing it before.

He couldn't see the driver.

The rest of the school day became unbearable.

Every time Leo looked outside, he wondered whether the car was still there.

It was.

At lunch, Marcus tried to talk to him.

Leo barely listened.

“You're acting weird,” Marcus said.

“I'm always weird.”

“Not like this.”

Leo looked at him.

“What do you want me to say?”

“The truth.”

Leo looked down at his food.

“I don't know what the truth is anymore.”

Marcus went quiet.

Then he said, “Whatever you're doing, don't do it alone.”

Leo looked at him.

Marcus shrugged.

“You're my friend. I'm not letting you walk into some crazy situation by yourself.”

Leo almost smiled.

“You don't even know what the situation is.”

“Exactly.”

“That makes no sense.”

“It makes perfect sense.”

Leo laughed quietly.

For a few seconds, everything felt normal again.

Then his phone vibrated.

He didn't want to look.

He already knew.

Eventually he did.

HE TRUSTS YOU.

Leo stared.

Then another message appeared.

THAT IS WHY HE IS IN DANGER.

Leo stood.

Marcus looked up.

“What happened?”

“I need to go.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

“Where?”

“I don't know.”

Marcus grabbed his arm.

“Leo.”

Leo looked at him.

“Don't follow me.”

Marcus frowned.

“Why?”

“Just don't.”

Leo walked away.

He left the cafeteria.

He went through the corridor and toward the school entrance.

A teacher called after him.

“Leo!”

He kept walking.

“Leo!”

He stopped.

The teacher approached.

“You're leaving?”

“Yes.”

“Before the end of the day?”

“Yes.”

“Is there a problem?”

Leo looked at him.

For a second, he wanted to explain everything.

He wanted to say that someone was watching him.

That his missing mother might not be gone in the way everyone believed.

That strange messages were appearing on his phone.

That someone had photographs of him from places he hadn't been yet.

But how could he explain any of that without sounding completely insane?

He simply said, “Family problem.”

The teacher studied him.

“Do you need me to call your father?”

“No.”

“Leo.”

“I'll handle it.”

The teacher sighed.

“Go home, then.”

Leo nodded.

He walked outside.

The white car was still across the road.

He stopped.

The driver's window was dark.

Leo stared at it.

The car started.

Leo stepped backward.

It drove past him.

The driver never looked in his direction.

Leo watched it disappear.

His phone vibrated.

WRONG CAR.

He stared.

Then another message.

YOU ARE LOOKING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION.

Leo looked around.

There were people everywhere.

Cars.

Shops.

Motorcycles.

Children walking home.

A woman carrying groceries.

A man talking on the phone.

Normal life.

But somewhere inside all that normality, someone was watching.

Leo walked home.

When he reached the house, his father was waiting in the living room.

“You left school.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I couldn't concentrate.”

His father studied him.

“Are you okay?”

Leo sat down.

“No.”

His father didn't ask another question.

That surprised him.

Instead, he sat beside Leo.

For several minutes, neither spoke.

Then Leo said, “What happened on Tuesday?”

His father's face changed.

Leo watched him carefully.

“You knew I'd ask.”

His father looked toward the window.

“Yes.”

“Tell me.”

“It was the day your mother disappeared.”

Leo frowned.

“No. She disappeared on Thursday.”

His father looked at him.

“That is what I told you.”

Leo felt something drop inside him.

“What really happened on Tuesday?”

His father stood.

“Your mother came home.”

Leo stared.

“What?”

“She came home on Tuesday.”

“But you said—”

“I know what I said.”

“What happened?”

His father walked toward the window.

“She was different.”

“Different how?”

“She kept asking what day it was.”

Leo stood.

“Why?”

“I don't know.”

“You didn't ask?”

“I did.”

“And?”

“She said she couldn't remember the previous three days.”

Leo stared at him.

His father continued.

“She had been working on something. Something connected to the system. She said she'd found a way to move information without sending it through the network.”

Leo's mind raced.

“What kind of information?”

“Memories.”

The room became silent.

Leo swallowed.

“What does that mean?”

“I don't know.”

“You said you knew.”

“I said I knew what happened. I didn't say I understood it.”

Leo looked toward the hallway.

“What happened after she came home?”

“She slept.”

“And Wednesday?”

“She woke up and acted like everything was normal.”

“Then Thursday?”

His father looked down.

“She disappeared.”

Leo sat slowly.

“So Tuesday was the last time she was really here.”

His father nodded.

Leo thought about the message.

ASK HIM ABOUT TUESDAY.

He looked at his father.

“Did she say anything about me?”

His father hesitated.

“What?”

“Did Mom say anything about me?”

His father didn't answer.

Leo's voice became quieter.

“Dad.”

“She said you were the reason she had to finish.”

Leo felt his chest tighten.

“Finish what?”

“I don't know.”

“You do.”

“I don't.”

“Then what did she mean?”

His father looked at him.

“She said something else.”

“What?”

“She said that if anything happened to her, I should keep you away from the internet.”

Leo almost laughed.

“That sounds ridiculous.”

“I thought so too.”

“Why would she say that?”

His father shook his head.

“I don't know.”

Leo looked at his phone.

The screen was dark.

For once, there were no messages.

No strange symbols.

No warnings.

Nothing.

Then the phone turned on by itself.

Leo stared.

A single sentence appeared.

SHE DIDN'T SAY THAT.

His father saw it.

Leo looked at him.

His father didn't move.

Another sentence appeared.

SHE SAID SOMETHING ELSE.

Leo's heart began pounding.

The screen went black.

Then one final message appeared.

ASK YOUR FATHER WHAT HE DID AFTER SHE DISAPPEARED.

Leo slowly raised his eyes.

His father was already looking at him.

For several seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then his father whispered, “You need to leave this alone.”

Leo shook his head.

“No.”

“Leo.”

“No.”

“You don't understand what you're doing.”

“I understand enough.”

His father stepped toward him.

“You have school tomorrow.”

Leo looked at him.

That sentence sounded almost absurd now.

School.

Homework.

Attendance.

Tests.

A normal routine.

How could he sit in a classroom and pretend to care about an assignment when his entire life had become a question with missing pages?

His father continued.

“You have to keep your life normal.”

Leo looked at the phone in his hand.

“What if normal is what got Mom taken?”

His father had no answer.

Leo went upstairs.

He opened his schoolbag and emptied it onto the bed.

Books.

Notebooks.

Pens.

Assignments.

A timetable.

He stared at everything.

For years, those things had represented his future.

Now they felt like objects belonging to somebody else.

He picked up his school uniform.

Then he put it down.

He thought about Marcus.

The teacher.

The classroom.

The people who knew nothing about what was happening.

He thought about his mother.

The tunnel.

Adrian.

Elias.

The photographs.

The messages.

The mysterious system.

And the possibility that someone had been watching his family for years.

Leo opened the drawer beside his bed and placed the school timetable inside.

He looked at it one last time.

Then he closed the drawer.

He knew what he was giving up.

He also knew why.

If he continued going to school, whoever was watching him would know exactly where to find him every morning.

Worse, Marcus could become a target simply because he was close to Leo.

Leo couldn't keep pretending that his life was normal while dragging someone else into a danger he barely understood.

He picked up his phone.

There was one new message.

No warning.

No instruction.

Just four words.

NOW YOU CAN BEGIN.

Leo stared at it for a long time.

Then he placed the phone on the bed.

The next morning, Leo would not be going back to school.

And for the first time, he understood that leaving school was not the end of his old life.

It was the moment he finally chose to walk away from it.

THE LAST SIGNAL