The Last Refuge part 2
Monk Opinion Team
Author
The Ghost in the Shadows
In the darkness of the forest, the unknown person walked slowly. In his hand was the same photograph—Riya, Esha, and Sameer. All three smiling. All three hiding a secret.
He dialed a number on his phone.
"Yes," he said in a slow, deep voice. "Phase 1 complete. Riya has taken the bait."
A woman's voice came from the other end. "And Ryan?"
"Asleep forever."
"And Esha's body?"
"In the resort basement. Riya thinks she's alone."
He hung up and looked at the photo again. His fingers stopped on Sameer's face.
"Soon, my friend," he whispered. "Soon everyone will know... that you never died."
He disappeared into the darkness.
Riya's Empire
Three weeks later, 'The Silence Valley Resort' was now under Riya Verma's complete control. The old staff had either been fired, or... put to eternal sleep.
Riya sat in her office. In front of her, a laptop was open, showing a list of the 50 richest people in the world—who had visited this resort.
"We have everyone's data," her assistant said. "Money, secrets, crimes... everything."
Riya smiled. "Now it's time... to let the world sleep."
Just then, her phone rang. Unknown number.
Riya picked up. "Yes?"
There was no voice on the other end. Only... the sound of breathing.
"Who is this?" Riya asked in a sharp voice.
Then a familiar voice came—slow, cold, and terrifying:
"You thought I was dead, Riya."
Riya's blood froze. "S... Sameer?"
"Yes," the voice said. "And now... I'm back."
The call ended.
Riya's hand trembled. She immediately called her security head. "Alert all guards. No one enters. No one!"
But she didn't know... he was already inside.
The First Blood
The next morning, a guard's body was found at the resort. His eyes were open—as if he died in his sleep. In his hand was a note:
"One."
Riya read the note, and her face turned pale. "He's here... Sameer is here."
She immediately messaged her old contacts—a network of underground hackers and mercenaries.
"I need a man. Sameer Verma. 35 years old. Height 5'11". Black hair. Brown eyes."
The reply came: "Sameer Verma? Ma'am, he died 3 years ago. Accident."
Riya threw the phone. "No... he's not dead. He never died."
She remembered—Esha's last night. Esha had cried and said: "Don't kill Sameer, Riya. He... he knows everything."
Riya had strangled Esha to death that night. But now... now she was understanding what Esha was afraid of.
The Secret of Three Friends
That night, Riya received a parcel. No return address.
Inside was:
An old diary (Sameer's)
A USB drive
And an audio recording
Riya played the audio first.
Sameer's voice: "Riya... if you're hearing this, it means I'm dead. Or... you tried to kill me. But the truth is, I faked my death. Because I found out what you and Esha were doing together."
Riya's hand trembled.
Sameer's voice continued: "We three were friends. Me, Esha, and you. We built this resort together—for a good cause. To help people. But you... you turned it into a data mining operation out of greed."
"When Esha found out, she separated from you. She planned to trap Ryan Kapoor—to stop you. But you... you killed her."
"Now it's my turn. But don't be afraid, Riya. I won't kill you. I'll just... give you what you gave others."
"Sleep. Eternal sleep."
The audio ended.
Riya's trembling hands plugged the USB drive into the laptop.
Inside was all the recordings—Riya and Esha's conversations, the plan to trap Ryan, and... the video of Esha's death.
Riya closed the laptop. "He's trying to drive me crazy."
Just then, the room lights went out.
In the darkness, a voice echoed:
"I'm not crazy, Riya... I'm free."
The Final Game (Climax)
Riya turned on her flashlight. The room was empty.
But written on the wall in blood was:
"Two."
Riya screamed. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"
Then a man descended from the ceiling—dressed in black, wearing a mask.
Riya pulled out her gun. "One more step, and I'll shoot!"
The man removed his mask.
It was Sameer.
But... he looked different. His eyes held madness, and his face had burn marks.
"Yes, Riya," Sameer said. "I'm the same Sameer you thought was dead."
"H... how are you alive?" Riya asked in a trembling voice.
Sameer laughed. "That night, when you cut my car brakes... I had already arranged everything. The airbags failed, but I survived. I burned, I was disfigured... but I survived."
He reached out his hand. "And now... I'm back."
Riya fired. But Sameer disappeared.
"I'm a ghost now, Riya," his voice came from all around. "And you can't shoot a ghost."
Just then, Riya began to feel sleepy. Her eyes grew heavy.
"W... what is this?" Riya barely stayed standing.
Sameer's voice: "The same drug you gave Ryan. Now... it's your turn."
Riya collapsed to the ground. Her eyes began to close.
For the last time, she saw Sameer—who had now returned to the photograph hanging on the wall.
In the photo, all three friends were smiling.
And below was written:
"Three friends. One secret. And one... who never died."
Epilogue – A New Beginning
Six months later, 'The Silence Valley Resort' stood abandoned. The jungle had swallowed it again.
A journalist wrote an investigative report about the resort—mentioning the disappearances of Ryan Kapoor, Esha Verma, and Riya Verma.
But no one knew the truth.
In the middle of the jungle, an unknown person looked toward the resort. In his hand was the same old photograph.
He picked up his phone. "Job done. Everyone's asleep."
Voice from the other end: "And the resort?"
"Closed forever."
"And you?"
The man smiled. "I'm... free."
He hung up and burned the photograph.
In the fire, the burning faces—Sameer, Esha, Riya—slowly turned to ash.
The man turned and disappeared into the jungle.
Behind him, wind blew through the resort's broken window—as if some old soul had finally found peace.
Or... perhaps, just waiting for a new guest to arrive.
A new dreamer.
A new one... who will never wake up.
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