The Signal

Chapter 6 — The Pattern

Malick Lee barely slept that night.

The signal had returned at exactly 3:17 a.m., but this time it carried something different. Beneath the familiar static, he heard a sequence of sounds: three short pulses, two long ones, followed by silence.

He replayed the recording several times.

Three. Two. Silence.

Malick wrote the pattern in his notebook and began comparing it with the strange symbol he had discovered earlier. Somehow, the two seemed connected.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated.

An unknown number had sent him a message.

STOP LISTENING.

Malick stared at the screen, wondering who could possibly know what he was doing.

Another message appeared.

IT KNOWS YOU HEARD IT.

He immediately checked the windows and locked his bedroom door. Nothing appeared unusual, but he could no longer shake the feeling that someone—or something—was watching him.

His laptop flickered.

The screen went black before displaying the strange symbol again. Beneath it, a sentence appeared.

3:17 IS NOT A TIME.

Malick leaned closer, trying to understand what it meant.

Before he could investigate, the laptop shut down completely.

Then he heard something outside.

Three electronic pulses.

Two more followed.

Silence.

Malick approached the window and looked into the darkness. Across the street, a parked car suddenly switched on its headlights.

Someone was sitting inside.

Before he could see the driver's face, the car sped away.

His phone vibrated once more.

This time, there was no message—only a photograph.

It showed the abandoned communications station on the outskirts of Nairobi.

Beneath the photograph were five words:

THE SIGNAL

Chapter 6 — The Pattern

Malick Lee barely slept that night.

The signal had returned at exactly 3:17 a.m., but this time it carried something different. Beneath the familiar static, he heard a sequence of sounds: three short pulses, two long ones, followed by silence.

He replayed the recording several times.

Three. Two. Silence.

Malick wrote the pattern in his notebook and began comparing it with the strange symbol he had discovered earlier. Somehow, the two seemed connected.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated.

An unknown number had sent him a message.

STOP LISTENING.

Malick stared at the screen, wondering who could possibly know what he was doing.

Another message appeared.

IT KNOWS YOU HEARD IT.

He immediately checked the windows and locked his bedroom door. Nothing appeared unusual, but he could no longer shake the feeling that someone—or something—was watching him.

His laptop flickered.

The screen went black before displaying the strange symbol again. Beneath it, a sentence appeared.

3:17 IS NOT A TIME.

Malick leaned closer, trying to understand what it meant.

Before he could investigate, the laptop shut down completely.

Then he heard something outside.

Three electronic pulses.

Two more followed.

Silence.

Malick approached the window and looked into the darkness. Across the street, a parked car suddenly switched on its headlights.

Someone was sitting inside.

Before he could see the driver's face, the car sped away.

His phone vibrated once more.

This time, there was no message—only a photograph.

It showed the abandoned communications station on the outskirts of Nairobi.

Beneath the photograph were five words:

YOUR FATHER IS STILL THERE.

YOUR FATHER IS STILL THERE.