Chapter 15: The Third Test
Tanoy didn't go home immediately.
He couldn't.
His hands were still shaking.
His mind—
Even worse.
"Prepare for the third test."
The message echoed in his head like a warning.
Or a threat.
Tanoy stood by the roadside, watching cars pass.
People moving.
Life continuing.
Normal.
Too normal.
"How is everything so normal…?" he whispered.
Because inside him—
Nothing was.
He had refused.
Twice.
So why did it feel like he was losing?
Tanoy closed his eyes.
Took a deep breath.
"No more," he said firmly.
"I'm done with this."
He pulled out his phone.
Scrolled to the unknown number.
Blocked.
For a moment—
Relief.
Finally.
It was over.
Or so he thought.
When Tanoy reached home—
Something felt off.
The door was open.
His heart skipped.
"Nipa?" he called out.
No response.
He stepped inside quickly.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
His chest tightened.
"Ma?"
"Baba?"
Nothing.
A cold fear gripped him.
Then—
He heard it.
A faint sound.
From inside the bedroom.
Tanoy rushed forward.
Pushed the door open—
And froze.
His younger daughter sat on the bed.
Crying.
"Baba!" she ran toward him immediately, clutching his shirt tightly.
Tanoy dropped to his knees.
"What happened?" he asked urgently.
"Where is everyone?"
"She…" the little girl tried to speak between sobs.
"She's not waking up…"
Tanoy's heart stopped.
"Who?" he asked, though he already knew.
She pointed toward the bed.
Tanoy slowly turned.
His older daughter lay there.
Still.
Unmoving.
"Hey…" Tanoy rushed forward.
"Hey! What happened?"
He shook her gently.
No response.
His panic spiked instantly.
"Nipa!" he shouted.
"Ma!"
Footsteps rushed in.
Nipa entered the room, her face pale.
"I don't know what happened," she said, her voice trembling.
"She was fine… and then suddenly…"
Tanoy checked his daughter's pulse.
Weak.
Too weak.
"Call a doctor!" he shouted.
"I already did," Nipa said.
Tanoy's breathing became uneven.
Not again.
Not this.
His mind flashed back—
The hospital.
The girl.
The machine.
"No…" he whispered.
Not his daughter.
Not his child.
Minutes felt like hours.
Then finally—
A doctor arrived.
Tanoy stepped back as the doctor checked her.
Silence filled the room.
Everyone watched.
Waiting.
Praying.
Then—
The doctor looked up.
"She needs to be taken to the hospital immediately."
Tanoy didn't wait.
He picked her up in his arms.
"Let's go."
The hospital lights were blinding.
Doctors rushed.
Machines beeped.
Voices overlapped.
Tanoy stood outside the emergency room.
Frozen.
His hands were still holding onto her warmth.
"Please…" he whispered.
"Please be okay…"
Time passed.
Slow.
Painful.
Nipa sat beside him, crying silently.
Tanoy couldn't even cry.
He was empty.
Then—
His phone vibrated.
Tanoy's body stiffened.
No.
Not now.
Slowly—
He looked at the screen.
Unknown number.
His breath became heavy.
He didn't want to answer.
But he did.
"Hello…"
Silence.
Then—
That voice.
Calm.
Controlled.
"The third test has begun."
Tanoy's grip tightened.
"You—" his voice broke.
"What did you do?!"
"I did nothing," the man replied.
"Don't lie!" Tanoy shouted.
"My daughter—"
"Is in danger," the man finished calmly.
Tanoy felt his world collapse.
"If anything happens to her—"
"It already is," the man said.
Silence.
Dead silence.
Then—
The man spoke again.
"This time," he said slowly,
"the choice is personal."
Tanoy's breathing turned ragged.
"What do you want?" he whispered.
A pause.
Then—
The words that shattered everything.
"Save your daughter," the man said,
"or save yourself."
Tanoy froze.
"I don't understand…"
"You will," the man replied.
Then—
A message arrived.
📩 "Come alone."
Another line appeared.
📩 "Or she doesn't make it."
Tanoy's hands started shaking violently.
"No…" he whispered.
This wasn't a test anymore.
This was war.
A war against his own life.
Against everything he loved.
Tanoy looked at the emergency room door.
His daughter was inside.
Fighting.
And now—
He had to make another choice.
But this time—
There was no right answer.
Only loss.
His phone buzzed again.
📩 "Tick tock."
Tanoy slowly looked up.
His eyes—
No longer confused.
No longer uncertain.
This time—
They burned.
With something new.
Anger.
And something even more dangerous—
Determination.
"I'm coming," he said under his breath.
Because this time—
He wasn't just part of the game.
He was ready to fight it.