The Signal

CHAPTER 1 — 03:17 The first time Malick Lee heard the signal, every device in his room was switched off. It was 3:17 in the morning. Outside, Nairobi was unusually quiet. Malick lay awake, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. Then his phone vibrated. He turned toward the desk. The screen was completely black. Another vibration. Malick sat up. He had switched the phone off before going to bed. When he touched it, the screen suddenly came alive. There was no lock screen. No notification. Only four characters: 03:17 Malick looked at the clock on his wall. 03:17. Then three strange pulses came through the phone speaker. Beep. Beep. Beep. The sound stopped. A message appeared. DO NOT ANSWER. Malick dropped the phone. His laptop suddenly switched on. The screen remained black for several seconds before white letters appeared: SIGNAL ACQUIRED. The lights in his room flickered. Then everything went dark. Malick slowly approached the window. The entire neighborhood was without power, but high above Nairobi, a thin blue line stretched across the sky. His phone vibrated again. He looked down. A final message appeared: WE FOUND YOU, MALICK. He stepped backward. Somewhere beneath Nairobi, something answered. Beep. Beep. Beep.